Co-op Mode
by Faria Lyton
Summary: Cauldron's plan was bad. The Protectorate was deeply flawed. The PRT was a joke. If Gaia wanted to save her babies, save herself, she'd need to interfere. Enter The Gamer. Too bad it's James. Now with a companion fic by Harper Potts, A Bug in the Game. Rated for Worm. Cross-posted
1. Character Creation 1-1

Disclaimer: This is a fan work that was written with no intent for profit and within fair use laws. Worm by Wildbow and The Gamer by Sung San-Young are not owned by me. If you haven't yet, I strongly suggest you give both a try.

Character Creation 1.1

I'm in a locker. It's clean, and surprisingly empty, but it's still a locker. And is it wrong that right now I'm just happy it's not MY locker? I keep A LOT of largely random crap and WAY more books than are actually required in my locker.

Instead, I'm in Taylor Hebert's locker. She hasn't stored anything in it in months. Las Tres Putas seem to break in and steal or destroy anything she leaves here. On the plus side, that's why it's empty enough for me in here. On the downside... I'm not sure how long it'll take for me to get out.

 **[New Quest Alert: Get Out Of The Locker]**

What.

 **[Get out of the locker, by any means necessary.]**

The.

 **[Time Limit: 2 hours]**

Fu- Two hours? What happens in two hours?

 **[Reward: Freedom, 200 XP, increased relationship with ?]**

I'm still not sure what's going on, but my XP whore side is all into this.

 **[Failure: Decreased reputation (general), incontinence, dehydration, starvation, and/or death.]**

Welp. That gets my focus back to the issue at hand. A countdown appearing at the upperleft edge of my vision keeps me focused.

I barely have room to move at all, but maybe if I twist just so...

 **[-1 HP]**

Nope. Also: ow. I cannot get the leverage to kick even a little. Maybe I can elbow the lock itself.

 **[-2 HP]**

Note to self: locks are hard. Maybe I should try something else.

Arching my back into the door while I push off the back wall does nothing but leave a lockprint in my back. Elbowing on the hinge side is equally futile, but less painful than the lock side.

Eventually, I hear voices outside my locker.

"Hey, isn't that HER locker?"

"Do you think she's in there again?"

"Can't be, I just saw her by Gladly's room. Besides, it doesn't smell enough."

 **[1:23:27]**

I can't have lost yet, so I take a chance and call out. "Nope. It's me. James. Here's a tip: it's possible to simultaneously insult the skinheads and die drei Hündinnen enough that they'll put aside differences while they stuff you in the first locker they can open. Think I can get you to let me out or get a janitor or something?"

A pause. Really? What is there to think about? What kind of spineless-

"I don't want to get in trouble with anyone." Rapid footsteps.

Ah. It's Greg. Nevermind.

I try twisting my shoulders, and while it isn't comfortable, it isn't painful and I'm not getting damage notices.

I should probably have already mentioned, but I'm a Parahuman. Probably. I only triggered an hour or so ago. I say "or so" because I got knocked out right after Triggering while getting my ass handed to me by a few skinheads who didn't appreciate open speculation on the fallacies of their beliefs or the implications about their sexual preferences Freud, Jung, and Kinsey could extrapolate from their dress and habit. And to be fair, I probably deserved it a little when Sophia joined in. Even if she basically stood there watching after she wandered in, I did go a little overboard with what I said about her probable interests. But enough about that.

On second I'm coming to terms with the fact that "Hans" has a knife (and my mortality), the next I have a health bar and can see every hit bringing me closer to death. Still not sure why they stopped and lockered me.

So my power lets me see how close to death I am. Thinker 1, I guess. And whatever you would call the thing with the quest. Still Thinker 1, unless I can actually do something with experience.

Anyway, I'm able to get twisted into a shape where I can (barely) elbow BESIDE the lock. Now, if this locker was made of steel, or not older than me, this wouldn't do jack. But this is Winslow, the quantafiably worst funded school in Massachusetts. And that's saying a lot. In this case, it's saying our lockers are only made of tin because gallium is too expensive.

 **[-1 HP]**

But the door dents. A little. And that's more than enough for me. I've been in here an hour, with no other progress.

 **[-1 HP]**  
 **[-1 HP]**  
 **[-1 HP]**

...

 **[Due to your diligence, your VIT has increased by 1!]**

Huh. I guess my power is doing something for me? My maximum health just went from 80 to 85. Still down to 13, though. Is it worth continuing or am I just killing myself? Each hit does almost nothing, but the dent has gotten fairly deep, and I THINK the door has bent enough that I can feel some give in the lock...

As I'm considering giving up, my health ticks back up a point. Regeneration? Even a little is worth a Brute 1. This power might be worth something after all...

Keeping an eye on the quest clock and my health reveals I'm regaining one health per 7 seconds. Roughly. Maybe a hair slower. Either way, if I just wait a little... wait.

 **[0:09:32]**

...how long was I elbowing for? Whatever, I've got 21 HP, and I really don't want to risk failing. Maybe I can try to hover around 10 HP for safety...

 **[0:05:19]** The give is real! I push harder, letting myself drop to 5 HP.

 **[0:02:02]** I hear voices. Are they letting me out? Did Greg grow a pair?

...must just be whoever ends my quest. Probably Gladly to complain about me 'damaging school property' like I did this on purpose.

 **[0:00:24]** I elbow as hard as I can. The door gives!

I fall out, head taking an early lead.

If elbowing a lock takes of 2 HP, I bet cracking my head on the floor will take more than the 5 HP I have left.


	2. Character Creation 1-2

Disclaimer: This is a fan work that was written with no intent for profit and within fair use laws. Worm by Wildbow and The Gamer by Sung San-Young are not owned by me. If you haven't yet, I strongly suggest you give both a try.

Character Creation 1.2

"Ow!"

Instead of cracking my head on the floor, I hit something soft and yielding. Well, bony and yielding. And by 'yielding' I mean 'collapsing under my weight'. Either way, I didn't die.

 **[-3 HP]**

Barely.

 **[Quest Completed!]**

 **[You have gained Freedom! and 200 XP]**

What about my relationship boost?

"James, were you in MY locker?"

"I think Sophia wasn't creative enough to stuff me in a different locker," I say as I roll off of Taylor. She picks herself up and takes in the sight of the mangled locker.

"At least it's clean this time," she said with a shudder.

I'm not in any of the same classes as Taylor, but we talk occasionally. Even if she wasn't the best balance of well-informed and not-spazzy of the other cape geeks, I'd have known about her after her significantly worse stint in the locker.

Sophia, Emma, and Madison (les trois chiennes) locked Taylor in her own locker with fermented femine hygene products a few months ago. Everyone knew who did it. Most people didn't even try to help. I got my first ever broken bone (clavacle) when MADISON of all people (creepy cutesy twit) tackled me when I approached the locker despite threats to my manhood and reputation if I tried to help.

When I tried to tell Principle Blackwell what happened, Emma's dad threatened my parents with a defamation suit. My mom made me write an apology. If it weren't for the clear signs that nothing I did at that point would help, I wouldn't have done it. As it was, I used a simple misspelling code to describe my true feelings on the matter in lurid detail.

Next time I'll remember the bitch can't spell well enough to catch it.

I take a moment to come to my feet and look Taylor in the eye.

 **[Taylor Hebert]**  
 **[Level 12]**  
 **[Unaffiliated Parahuman]**

I don't need... No, I don't want to know that. Using powers to discover a cape's secret identity is a huge breach of the so-called "unwritten rules". (Not only are the "unwritten rules" available in whole on at least sixteen parahuman fanboards, including ParaHumans Online, the freaking Protectorate AND PRT websites have them as well. And there's a truly intimidating video that KEEPS popping up on Youtube of the Marquis laying out the rules.) This is a ticket to getting my ticket punched if anyone finds out.

I think my face must have gone white, because Taylor started trying to comfort ME. "Hey, there's nothing in there, and I wasn't using the locker or anything. We'll just leave and no one will blame you for the locker. Unless Emma or Madison or Sophia says you did or something. But the dent is from the inside, so maybe the teachers will believe you were locked in there or-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Did I really regenerate four health without her taking a breath? "I think I just need to..."

What do I need to do? School isn't actually even over yet. But I'm not up to going to class. Especially since I'm pretty sure I'm supposed be in gym, and that dodgeball might kill me right now. And going home is kinda pointless. No one else will be home until at least 6. I kinda want to talk to Taylor about my maybe powers, but if she is a cape she might kill me or something if she thinks I'll out her or something. Parahumans are notoriously touchy about their secret identies.

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!]**

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has advanced from 'School mates' to 'Friends']**

Fuck it. If she hasn't destroyed San Guchi for what they did to her flute or for the locker before that (and that was a trigger event if I've ever heard of one) she wasn't going to kill a friend. As long as I was careful. I hope.

"I'm hungry. And I hear Fugly Bob's lost the whole 'frying veggie-patties in lard' lawsuit. I'll pay?" I swear, if I was half as well-spoken out loud as I am in my head...

Taylor's expression reinforced my poor opinion of my speaking skills. "You'd better not mean-"

"Do I look like Greg? No, I just wanted to talk with you. And eat something. Preferably lard-free. And meat-free. And Bob's is closest, and I wouldn't presume to ask someone to come along without paying."

Apparently that was good enough.


	3. Character Creation 1-3

Character Creation 1.3

Fugly Bob's is a terrible place to eat for a vegetarian. They technically have three or four meat-free items, but the premade salads all have bacon bits, the french fries are fried in beef grease or lard or SOMETHING, milkshakes aren't really food, and even after getting sued for exactly that reason, I had to specifically ask that they NOT soak my vegeburger in whatever bacon-dripping, beef grease, lard glop that covers everything there. Of course, what do you expect out a half-fast food, half-bar in a weathered building on the edge of Merchant's territory? The lunch rush just ended, fly-harried workers are mostly busy cleaning up leftovers, and a few rumpled men are half-consciously swaying over their beers in a corner.

Taylor's order is much easier, other than the fact they try to give us each other's orders. Twice. I swear, every time I eat out… I sometimes wonder if my sister started eating meat for the humor factor of my reaction to being offered chunks of dead animals by sexist waitstaff.

Eating the food is easy. Banging around in a locker for two hours is hungry work. We mostly just stuff our faces. Talking is tough. I'm not about to discuss powers in what is probably the most popular fast food place for Winslow students, even if the post-school rush won't show up until after school actually ends. Things are quiet for a few minutes before I try, "So... I thought you'd stopped using your locker...?"

"I was walking past and saw the door bulging. I almost thought Emma had filled it with something again but I heard banging."

I hope that didn't trigger a flashback or something. Last thing I need is her thinking about that trauma right now. "Nope. It was Sophia. And some Nazis. Maybe I should be proud. I got Nazis to work with a black chick..." I half-forced a smile. "Almost done?"

Looking over the rapidly-wilting lettuce on the last fourth of her burger, Taylor apparently decides she'd had enough. "So, I don't think you asked me here to talk about lockers..." she says leadingly.

"Actually, I did. Or more accurately, what I think happened in there." Okay, bad way to start the conversation. The glare is strong in this one. "Sorry, I know you don't want to talk about it, and it's really not something you should bring up - and I don't mean you-you, I mean a more general you, in this case me - I mean..." I stop for a second to end the babble. Deep breath. "The same thing happened to me right before I ended up in the locker. I think..." I trailed under her glare. I swear, for such a twiggy girl, Taylor has a downright intimidating stare. Even if I didn't know... think? I'm still not sure I know...

"What do you think happened?" Her quiet voice has the same knife-like intensity as her gaze.

Holy crap. I've never found an emotionless voice so scary. "I, uh, think I'm," I try not to be too obvious about glancing around the joint. Thankfully it's still mostly empty, so my absolute lack of subtlety is probably unnoticed. "A parahuman."

"Getting yourself out of a clean locker gave you powers? And what powers do you have?"

I don't know if Taylor has the best poker face ever, or if I'm just coming across as a lunatic. "No, it was the beating and threatened stabbing beforehand that did it. And I-"

"Who put you up to this?"

Wow. I thought she was scarily emotionless before. There's absolutely no inflection in her face or voice, but my every nerve is screaming that she's pissed. Even the flies around the garbage cans seem agitated.

 **[Due to realizing how badly you've put your foot in it, a new skill has been unlocked!]**  
 **[Sense Danger (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.00%]**  
 **[A natural survival instinct. It allows the user to sense when a bad thing might happen. The higher the skill level, the sooner it can sense danger.]**

Well, I wish that had shown up a few minutes ago. But if it's anything like in those Earth Aleph comics... I could use that.

Right as I'm about to completely fumble out denials in terror, I realize something. I'm not actually scared. I check Taylor. Still glaring. Still way more intimidating than a skinny white girl should ever be. And yet I'm just not... well, I'm still intimidated. But it's not controlling me.

"I triggered. At first it just seemed like a really crappy Thinker power - I can tell exactly how close to dying I am. And watching that tick closer while those punks beat me-"

"Stop. You're not even good at this. You aren't injured, not even bruised. Your clothes are barely ruffled."

Huh. I knew my health bar was back up to to 85/85 after a few minutes, but hadn't really noticed that I didn't have a mark on me. "That's the second thing I noticed - I seem to regenerate. Not too fast, but maybe nine or ten minutes from almost dead to perfectly fine." It cannot be healthy for a teenager to be able to hide their emotions so thoroughly for so long. It suddenly occurs to me that she's probably got a lot of practice dealing with Sophia, Emma, and Madison.

"That's... convenient." Dripping sarcasm finally betrays some emotion. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Well, it seems I also get some information about everyone I look at. Name. Threat level. And some extra information. Like 'unaffiliated parahuman'. And... I don't know. It just seemed like... you're a friend, and neither of us has many, and all things considered I thought I could tell you."

The flies stopped buzzing.

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert decreased!]**

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert is now 'School mates']**

I disguise closing the window as waving off a fly. Wonder what I did to make that drop...

"Friends?" she hissed. "You think we're friends? When did we become friends? Did you help out when I was being bullied? Did you get me out of the locker? Did you tell ANYONE who did that to me?"

"I tried-"

"Tried? What did you try?"

The flies had apparently gotten bored, and I was able to use swatting them away to take a moment to try and not put my foot in it. "Do you remember that… What about the time I… sonovacrap. I tried to let you out of the locker, but Madison tackled me. Broke my collarbone. But the weird strap set-up the doctor's had me on by the time you got back to school was probably covered by my backpack every time we bumped into each other in the hall. I've got no way of proving shit though."

Taylor just stared.

I waved off the increasingly persistent flies. I might be done eating, but it doesn't mean I okay with the flies finishing my meal in front of -

 **[Danger!]**

"Huh?" I don't see any danger, but catch a glimpse of this one fly that's decided to just chill on my hand.

 **[Controlled Fly]**

I stare at it.

 **[A skill has been created through a special act.]**  
 **[Through continuous observation, a skill to find the target's information, 'Observe', has been created.]**

 **[Controlled Fly Lvl 1]**

 **[HP: 1 MP: 0]**  
 **[A normal housefly controlled by a nearby parahuman. One fly is hardly a threat.]**

I look up at Taylor's largely emotionless face. I look past her at the horde of flies swarming the trash cans. Every single one has a sign floating over it. They blend together into a huge blue blur. I still can guess what they all say.

 **[Controlled Fly]**

"Shit."


	4. Character Creation 1-4

Character Creation 1.4

Fight or flight doesn't even factor in when you realize you're actively pissing off someone who can apparently control enough flies to make you flash back to watching The Ten Commandments. I barely even notice the near word-for-word recreation of a 90s Raid commercial by **[Fugly Bob]** himself as I desperately try to think up a way to fix this. Preferably before she kills me and/or someone calms down enough to realize the swarm of might have something to do with the girl who isn't freaking out with everyone else.

Clearly, talking is just making things worse. Show, don't tell. I grab the nearest utensil, Taylor's fork, and ram it point first into my left hand. She jolts as if to stop me, but she's too late. Thankfully, the cheap plastic doesn't break on my skin.

 **[-8 HP]**

Unfortunately, it still hurts like a bitch. I am distinctly aware of each tine, four irregular beams of agony speared through my hand. Thank God I didn't grab the **serrated** knife.

Taylor's face shifts to aghast as she lunges across the table and yanks the fork out my hand, flinging it across the room. "Why did you do that? Are you okay?"

The pain starts fading immediately. I hold up my hand so she can watch it regenerate, but there's no wound. "Huh. You saw that, right?"

She grabs my inexplicably uninjured hand roughly, and for a second I think she's going to inspect it right there, but instead she stands abruptly and drags me out of the restaurant. I barely avoid banging a hip against the table, or worse. Behind us, the flies disperse as their natural instincts kick back in.

Taylor pulls me past kitschy souvenir stands, along a derelict pier, and down a half-concealed stairway. On the shaded sand under the Boardwalk, surrounded by the various bits of litter that fall through the cracks overhead, Taylor stops and draws my hand to eye level. There's no sign that anything happened. "I thought you said your regeneration was slow. This," she shakes my hand around, "Is not slow."

 **[HP: 81/85]**

I twist my hand in her grasp, taking a moment to look at the palm. Still no mark. "...I'm confused. My power is showing me at 81 out of 85 hit points. But there's no holes…"

"Hit points? Like in an RPG?" Her tone makes it less a question, more a demand for information.

"Yeah. I think my power is a little weird. It also told me I'd gained vitality while trying to bash my way out of your locker, gave me a quest with a two hour timer to get out of there, and leaves little signs floating over people's heads. Like I said earlier, it tells me name, level, and that you're an [Unaffiliated Parahuman]."

She gives me a dirty look and releases my wrist. "And what are you going to do with that knowledge? Are you trying to out me as a cape? Push me into using my powers in public?"

"No!" I'm borderline flailing my arms in denial. "Hell no. Not a chance. I was hoping to get your help figuring out my powers..." Honestly, I really hadn't thought that far before now. I've been running on auto-pilot since I realized **I can see when someone has powers**. I'm not sure if I'm trusting Taylor because she's a friend, because she's been bullied, or just because she's got cool hair. Long hair has always caught my eye. I hope it's not the last one. I really don't like to think I'm making life-changing choices based on hair. "...and maybe team up. And not just 'cause I'm not sure how good my powers are in a fight and need backup." I'm still thinking out loud. "Like I said earlier, I assume you got your powers in the locker. That means you've had the ability to control flies for -"

Taylor interrupts me with a smirk. "Insects. All insects." She gestures at the beach a few feet closer to the ocean as a dozen or so crabs boil out of the sand and approach us… in a crustacean congo line? "Oh, and arthropods. You know, lobsters and crabs and such."

A **[Controlled Wasp]** floats about six inches from my face, making me go cross-eyed for a moment. "That's even scarier." I have got to get my thoughts back ahead of my mouth. "And still proves my point. Emma, Sophia, and even Madison are still alive. I like to think I'm a good guy, but the urge to go all bug-Carrie on them would be REALLY hard to resist."

Wasps, flies, and a few spiders - are those black widows? - weave between the fingers on Taylor's right hand as she lifts it to eye level, an indecipherable look on her face. "I thought about it. I really did. Somedays it got so bad it took everything I had to keep the swarms drawn by my rage in the walls. To not drown them in the bugs they linked me to. And every time, exactly one thing held me back."

It hits me. I know. I was right to trust her. "You're better than them."

"I'm going to be a hero," she agrees.

There's only one thing to do: I offer her my allegiance. I almost offer my hand in an overly-dramatic gesture, but think better of it. "I'm not sure how much I can do with my power, especially compared to yours, but I'd lo- be honored to be your sid- to fight at your side." Smooth. I should probably let her do the talking when we deal with other capes.

"I've seen the statistics for independent heroes. They're pretty grim. And as a Master, I could use a Brute as backup." She smiles in a way I haven't seen since middle school. "Tell me everything you know about your power."

* * *

A/N: Considered not having a fork be at their table, because burger joint, but couldn't bring myself to try and write James telling Taylor to stay right there while he finds something to stab himself with.

While posting this arc on Spacebattles I ran a poll on whether James' powers should come from a shard or Gaia. The vast majority of readers preferred Gaia-based powers for The Gamer. This will have in-story consequences.

Many thanks to Harper Potts for her help, both with Beta-ing and help with plotting out story details ahead of time. She can be found on my favorite author's list.


	5. Character Creation 1-5

Character Creation 1.5

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!]**  
 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has advanced from 'School mates' to 'Friends']**

I take a moment to figure out where to start, how to order things. I'm less likely to forget anything if I try to go chronologically. But first I have a thought I need to address. "You said 'independent heroes'. Are you not planning on joining the Wards?"

"I want to build a little rep first. Make sure my name is well-enough known that their infamous PR department can't rename me Madame Butterfly and tell me I'm not allowed to use stinging or biting insects. And I'm not sure I want the teen drama and regulations that come with being a Ward. After Winslow…" She trailed off.

I can't help but agree. "Fair enough." I've got the impression that Clockblocker and Kid Win could be fun to hang out with. Vista, too, even if she is a kid. But that might just be PHO and PR talking. Gallant and Aegis seem kinda jock-y, not that there's anything wrong with that, and if Shadow Stalker is anything like the rumors on PHO say… I'd rather deal with Madison, Sophia, and Emma.

"If I can manage it, I'd like to hold out and join the Protectorate as an adult. But I won't know until I, or maybe now we, have fought a few thugs and see how well we do on our own. We'll see how we work together, then decide." Taylor set down her backpack in the sand and pulled out a worn notebook and a pen. "So, powers. Spill."

"Well, it was immediately obvious that I could see how close I was to dying as HP." So glad Hans never got around to stabbing me. Still not sure why.

"Weak Thinker. Brute once you figure in the regeneration," Taylor muttered as she scribbled a page towards the back of the worn notebook.

"Then I got some kind of pop-up, almost like on a browser, telling me I had two hours to escape the locker. Or else." I'll leave the stated consequences vague. My eyeballs were floating by the time made it to Fugly Bob's and I got a chance to 'wash my hands'.

Taylor pauses in her note taking and looks up. "Precognition? Even if it's weirdly limited, that's a really good Thinker power." It seems she's got more to write about this than the other powers.

"I'm not really sure." Don't think I've heard of blue windows giving people text descriptions of the threat they face before. "I haven't had any other… premonitions like that one. It also promised a reward for escaping. 200 XP and a relationship increase, which was apparently for you."

"...relationship increase?" She sounds just as perturbed by the idea as I am.

"It told me we'd gone from classmates to friends. Of course, I totally blew that by being an idiot at Bob's. And it just went back up. It's kinda distracting, really." Reminds me of why I can't stand dating sims, really.

She seems to be considering the idea. "Is that why you said we're friends?" I'd say she sounds hopeful, but experience tells me it's all in my head.

"Well, that and I call almost anyone who isn't clearly my enemy a friend." Which just makes it so much sadder that I only have almost no friends at Winslow. Of course, I do pretty much automatically consider anyone who willing associates with Empire 88 or the Azn Bad Boys or the Merchants an enemy by default. Racist scum and filthy degenerates, determined to drag everyone down to their level. I pull myself back to the topic at hand before I can work myself up. "But yeah. If it weren't for how… wobbly? it is, I'd be afraid it's a Master power."

"Because you think your power made me your friend." Taylor frowned briefly, then shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that it wasn't Master, because if I was Mastered then I wouldn't have gotten angry with you. Your power laid out a set of actions. If you did them, they would result in a 'relationship increase' with me. That's a weird precog variation: do X and Y then Z will happen. Thinker, not Master."

"Yeah, that's a relief." And not just because it meant I wasn't likely to be Mastering anyone. It may be juvenile, but I don't think anyone has explicitly stated they're my friend since grade school. "That way lies bad-ness. I got another pop-up telling me I'd gotten a boost to Vitality after elbowing the door for a while. My max HP went up to 85 then. ...is that Trump, or just more Brute?"

"Brute, I think. Or maybe just more Thinker, measuring how much benefit you'll get from the exercise." Her face is back in the book, pen dancing as she scribbles notes.

I nod sharply. It makes more sense than thinking I've got some ultra-rare self-improving power like Dauntless. "Right. Well, then I noticed the regeneration then. And I kind of doubt I can actually do anything with the 200 XP I got for escaping the locker." ...I didn't apologize for that, did I? "Sorry about landing on you, by the way."

"I was wondering if you'd remember," she teases, grinning a little over her notebook.

"Sorry. Um… then I noticed a floating nametag over your head calling you Level 12 and an Unaffiliated Parahuman." I really should try to get a better idea what's considered a normal level. For both humans and parahumans. Twelve is rather impressive in Dungeons and Dragons, barely a start in Final Fantasy, and jack-diddly-squat in Disgaea. With my luck, it's like Disgaea and even Mush is probably over level 200.

Taylor is suddenly aiming her pen at me. "That could be useful in separating capes from the minions. The titles might also identify gang members. Very useful, but you'll want to keep that one mostly secret. I hear no one tolerates people outing capes. Villains or heroes."

"I know! That why I started freaking out. Dragging you to Bob's was me running panicked damage control." And could have turned out so much worse. "While I was tempting fate over burgers I got a pop-up informing me I'd 'earned' a Sense Danger skill. Le-"

"Danger sense? Well that's really useful." Taylor actually looks a little jealous.

That's what I thought. "No. It isn't. So far, it just means I get a warning after I already should have known I was in trouble. That said, it did tip me off to taking a closer look at that one fly. Which showed up as a Controlled Fly. And then I got an Observe skill, which just told me that, yes, the fly was controlled, by a parahuman, easy to kill, and not much of a threat by itself. Then I saw a couple hundred Controlled Flies and kinda panicked."

"I thought you were trying to grab me or something."

"WAAYYY to scared of you to try anything." It's almost funny that she would have been worried about that. Nearly everyone in my family is allergic to bees. Odds are, she could kill me on accident. So, yes, scared. "Looks like an odd set of Thinker Powers, some minor Brute, with a possibility to improve that. And if the XP thing is anything more than my Thinker abilities just being stranger in yet another way, it'll probably only boost the Brute."

"Considering the videogame theme your powers seem to have, there might be more. And the XP thing might actually be really useful. We should probably experiment further. But probably not here." Taylor gestures upwards as a fresh shower of sand sifts down onto us, dislodged by pedestrians overhead.

I take a moment to think. Asking her to my place could be… misconstrued. And I really don't want to let my family mess this up. And they would. Inviting myself to her house would be rude, and she might be just as reluctant to involve her family. Abandoned warehouses are a huge risk, given how many aren't. Abandoned, that is. That really only leaves one option. "Ship's Graveyard? If PHO is to be trusted, it's generally viewed as one of the safe places to practice as a new cape."

She packs away the notebook and stands while absently noting, "That's probably because it's so easy to get lost there."

"Really? When did you go there?" Rumors about the place abound. Some people treat it like a haunted house and sneak in at night to prove their bravery. Some say that the truly desperate sometimes squat in the old wrecks. It's also said that markets so black even the gangs won't touch them met there occasionally to sell all things illegal and reprehensible. Slaves, drugs, weapons, and worse.

"My dad's the Head of the Dockworkers' Union." Pride creeps into Taylor's voice, followed by nostalgia. "I wandered into there a few times when he took me to work with him after grade school. It should be a good place test things for a few hours."

If she's sharing… "Sounds like way more fun than when my parents took me to work. Mom's a secretary. At Medhall. It's like spending four hours in a doctor's waiting room, but with worse magazine. And Dad's with IT for the PRT. Half the time he's running around the country making sure all their computers are running the same software, and the other half… well, when I'm eighteen I might be able to get clearance to be in the same room as his work computer." He told me he once accidentally discovered to located of a top-secret base from toilet paper requisitions in a buggy spreadsheet. It's amazing what you can pick up from the most random of data. "The Ship's Graveyard should work great. Lead the w-"

 **[New Quest Alert: Mom's Half-Day]**  
 **[The Gamer's mother got off early and will notice if he's not home soon!]**

Fuck. Yeah, I know that. And she won't react well. I wonder how soon she'll notice.

 **[Time limit 30 minutes.]**

If I run, I might be there in 20. Wheezing like an asthmatic 80 year-old chain smoker, but there.

 **[Reward: 50 XP, increased closeness with mother.]**  
 **[Failure: Decreased reputation with mother, grounding.]**

"I got a new quest, apparently my mom got home early, and will throw another hissy fit if I'm not home soon. Meet you there tomorrow? I'll tell her I got invited over to a friend's place. That should give us a few hours."

"I understand. ...you know, you should keep a journal of when it happens, and maybe more importantly, when it doesn't. For now you'd better run. If your power is warning you to get home, you'd better hurry. See you tomorrow. Is ten good?"

 **[New Quest Alert: Weekend Training]**  
 **[Meet Taylor for powers practice at the Ship's Graveyard. You might want to pack a lunch!]**  
 **[Goal time: 10 AM]**  
 **[Reward: 200 XP, ?]**  
 **[Failure: Decreased closeness with Taylor Hebert]**

I smirk as I turn to leave. "It's a Quest."

* * *

 **[James Barron]**

 **[The Gamer]**

 **[Level 1]**

 **HP: 85/85**

 **MP: 245/245**

 **Attributes:**

 **STR: 4**

 **AGI: 7**

 **VIT: 7**

 **INT: 39**

 **WIS: 4**

 **LUK: 5**

 **Skills:**

 **Sense Danger: Level 1**

 **Observe: Level 1**

 **No established PRT rating**


	6. Special 1: Talk Like A Pirate Day

Holiday Special #1: Talk Like a Pirate Day

James was enjoying a no-longer-quite-as-rare day of peace and quiet. After almost four years of hell, dealing with the ABB, E88, Merchants, Endbringers, Coil, Echidna, the S9, the Teeth, the Fallen, and fucking Scion himself, he felt justified in taking a day every now and then. Sure, there were still threats, but nothing immediate. He hadn't even had a quest alert in weeks.

Taylor looked just as content as James felt, curled up in an armchair with an anthology of English literature. He'd think she was asleep if it weren't for the wolf spider, perched on the spine of the book, turning the page every few minutes.

It's a good thing Dennis eventually got over his entomophobia, he couldn't help but think with a chuckle. Even after working with the Protectorate for years now, he knew opinions and reactions of the whole team were sometimes skewed by those first few months. Missy still glared at him if he opened his inventory around her in combat. And Chris still regularly warned Taylor to keep her creepy crawlies away from his sensitive electronics and fine moving parts.

With nothing else to do for the day, James wandered over to the rather staggering collection of Aleph DVDs the team had collected. Ever since the Final Boss Battle trade between dimensions had flowed much more freely. Even superhero comics were having a comeback on Bet, leading to some really awkward copyright infringement issues the lawyers were still sorting out.

The word "Stranger" caught James' eye, bringing Aisha to mind. While the years hadn't mellowed her at all, she had matured enough to focus on truly deserving targets. Several plutocrats who had been profitting from the suffering in the wake of Scion's rampage were now destitute, hugging themselves and gibbering their days away in padded rooms after earning her full attention.

With that happy thought, James grabbed the film from the shelf. On Stranger Tides: A Pirates of the Caribbean film sounded like a good way to blow a few hours. He opened the case a-

 **[New Quest Alert: Talk Like A Pirate]**

If it weren't for years of quests, both odd and dangerous, he would have reacted more. As it was, his slightly stiffened posture was enough to alert his partner.

"New quest?" Taylor was already on her feet, swarms of the world's nastiest bugs oozing from every nook and cranny of the room.

 **[Dress and talk like a pirate for the day.]**

If it weren't for years of experience with her, and very high levels of Physical Endurance and Poison resistence, James would have shrieked like a girl as bullet ants climbed out of his shoes to join the teaming mass gathering around Taylor. He settled for a reproachful, if half-assed, glare.

She smirked back.

 **[Reward: "Part-time Pirate" title, 15000000 XP, 1 doubloon, and a dozen doughnuts]**

"...you remember last Fourth of July?"

 **[Failure: A plank to walk]**

"When Gaia asked for a firework show and gave you the 'Apprentice Pryotechnician' title?"

"Yeah. She's learned about talk like a pirate day."

* * *

Author's Note: Originally posted on September 19 on SpaceBattles, so I didn't miss the day. This is a possible future, so it may or may not be canon to this story.


	7. Cutscene 1a - Taylor

Interlude 1.x (Taylor) by Harper Potts, posted here with permission

Something was rotten in the state of Winslow. Not that rot was anything new. Since my first day at Winslow I had been bullied by my ex-friend Emma along with all of Emma's hangers on – predominantly Sophia Hess and Madison Clements. No one ever did anything about stopping it. The administration and teachers preferred to play blame the victim or were simply clueless. I couldn't tell which. I know my classmates weren't clueless. They either joined in the abuse or turned a blind eye to it. In a way that was worse. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing." Today the willing blindness ran especially strong. Many students actively ignored me and avoided my gaze. Something was most certainly rotten.

I had actually been looking forward to this part of Mr. Gladly's World Issues class. We were finally discussing capes. Mr. Gladly was shockingly teaching for once instead of his usual group work and discussion time. He had a passion in his voice as he lectured that he usually reserved for trying to befriend the cool kids. Yet, I couldn't make myself care. Thirty or so minutes until class ended, and then an hour for lunch. An hour was far too much time for whatever was being planned. I glanced over my shoulder to where Madison Clements sat two rows to her left and two seats back. Madison met her gaze and smirked. I lowered my eyes to my notebook and tried to ignore the ugly sour feeling in my stomach.

The hardest part was that I didn't have to take their abuse day after day. I was a parahuman and while the power to control bugs wasn't a great one, it would be so very easy to go Carrie on the school. I controlled my swarm, my swarm obeyed my every whim, but when I got emotional those emotions tended to bleed out into my swarm. For that reason I worked very hard to keep a wall up between myself and my power at school. If I lost it at school, it might be momentarily satisfying, but then I would forfeit my future. Even if I merely tormented them a bit and didn't kill them, I'd still be labeled a villain. My dreams of being a hero would be lost. Setting that aside my powers made me stronger than them. Using my powers for revenge, even against the trio, would lower me to their level. I would not stoop to their level and bully someone just because I could. I was better than that.

On the other hand, maybe I could use my powers to avoid whatever it was they had planned for me. Thirty-three minutes left in class. Enough time to take a little peek around and still wall my power back off. I relaxed my barrier and in a blink they were all there, every creepy-crawly within blocks around answered to my will. A little bit of scouting couldn't hurt. Madison was easy. I put a fly on the bow in her hair and sent a few more bugs crawling around inside her backpack. I was still trying to work on how to interpret what my bugs were telling me, but as far as I could tell she had nothing but books and papers in her bag.

Nevermind, some of my exploring bugs discovered someone in trapped in a locker. It might even be my locker. I didn't have enough bugs to build a good enough map to tell. Judging by the way everyone wasn't looking at me, it pretty much had to be my locker. Was this a trap? How was Emma going to twist this to make it my fault? There weren't bugs in the locker until I sent a few in there. From them I could tell there was no blood and trash filling the locker, just a person, probably male because of short hair and flat chest. Still, even without the trash no one deserved to be trapped in a locker.

I thrust my hand up in the air. "Mr. Gladly?"

He looked surprised. "Yes, Taylor? Do you have something to contribute?"

"May I please go to the bathroom?"

The class laughed at my interruption. Oddly they were laughing at Mr. Gladly this time as my question seemed to have thrown him completely off his stride. Well, most of them were laughing at Gladly. Some of the boys were probably laughing merely because I said bathroom. From what I could tell half the boys in my class still thought fart jokes were pinnacle of funny.

Mr. Gladly waved me off. "Fine. You can go, Taylor."

He was supposed to give me a hall pass, but Mr. Gladly never bothered to follow that rule. I grabbed my backpack, because I probably wouldn't be coming back. Gladly either didn't notice or didn't care. He went back to talking about the dawn of capes. Madison looked sour when I glanced at her. I took that as a good sign that I was derailing whatever was planned for me.

A brisk walk brought me quickly to the hallway with my locker. The banging sound of someone desperately trying to get out of my locker brought forth the bad memories. I could almost feel the corridor closing in on me, tight and constrictive. Nightmares clawed at the doors of my mind the same way that I'd clawed at my own flesh trying to keep the bugs off me. I could smell the stench of blood, decay and vomit. I knew it was my imagination, but that didn't mean it wasn't real. The locker changed me. Not like a forge that made me stronger. The locker broke me. I lost myself in there and it took a long time to put myself back together. I was stronger now. At least I hope I was stronger now, but sometimes late at night I wondered if I went insane in there, that I was still locked up in the psych ward and trapped in the nightmare that was Winslow. I pushed those thoughts back under the bed with my other monsters and reached for the door to unlock it. Naturally the lock chose that moment to give way and someone fell on top of me. I gave a little girly squeal as we tumbled to the floor. I'm not proud of it, but that's what happens when you spend too long huffing your own nightmare fuel.

Lying on top of me was a boy that I kinda sorta knew. "James, were you in MY locker?"

"I think Sophia wasn't creative enough to stuff me in a different locker." He rolled off me without a thank you for breaking his fall, but he seemed as embarrassed as I was and didn't get handsy.

I pushed up and got to my feet. My locker gaped open. James had done a number on it from the inside. He'd been luckier than I'd been. I'd been facing the wall. I had tried and tried to kick backwards, but it hadn't worked. I shuddered involuntarily. "At least it's clean this time."

Awkward silence. James… I knew him, but not recently. We haven't had any classes together and we didn't ride the same bus. Well, not at Winslow. We had shared classes back at Rafferty Middle School and I'd known him before then, all the way back to elementary. I couldn't honestly remember when we first met. He was just one of those classmates that had been around a long time, which is why we were on a first name basis. Despite that we were merely acquaintances. In James's favor he'd never joined in teasing or bullying me. That put him a step above most Winslow students. He was also looking a bit shaken up. I could definitely sympathize. "Hey, there's nothing in there, and I wasn't using the locker or anything. We'll just leave and no one will blame you for the locker. Unless Emma or Madison or Sophia says you did or something. But the dent is from the inside, so maybe the teachers will believe you were locked in there or-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I think I just need to..."

Fine. That was one of my favorite words these days. Whenever my father asked, the answer was always "I'm fine." I knew all about fine. James wasn't fine. I offered him my best sympathetic look while giving him a chance to pull himself together.

"I'm hungry. And I hear Fugly Bob's lost the whole 'frying veggie-patties in lard' lawsuit. I'll pay?"

What? Was he asking me out?! "You'd better not mean-"

"Do I look like Greg? No, I just wanted to talk with you. And eat something. Preferably lard-free. And meat-free. And Bob's is closest, and I wouldn't presume to ask someone to come along without paying."

I frowned, not at his words, but at myself. I was starting to act like a dog who had been kicked too often, unable to trust and snapping at everyone. James wasn't one of my bullies. He was a victim like me. If he needed someone to listen, I could do that. I forced an awkward smile onto my face. "Okay, Fugly Bob's sounds good."

A burger, fries and a milkshake later I was wondering what the hell it was that James wanted to discuss with me and why he'd picked Fugly Bob's. Sure, I enjoyed a good burger, but there were plenty of other restaurants where he could have ordered vegetarian while I had something else. Fugly Bob's was practically a temple to grilled cow and grease. The lunch crowd had faded out and while there were some employees cleaning up we were relatively private. So... what was it that he wanted? Or had he actually wanted a date? James wasn't really my type. Not that I'd dated, but I knew what I liked. I liked my beefcake with more beef. James didn't look out of shape. He had a lean but not soft look to him. Still there was a little too much nerdy/geek to him that didn't do it for me. He seemed nice enough, but I didn't want to talk about the latest videogame or if Eidolon could beat Legend in a fight.

James awkwardly broke the silence. "So... I thought you'd stopped using your locker...?"

Yeah, not going to tell him about how my bugs told me that he was in there. "I was walking past and saw the door bulging. I almost thought Emma had filled it with something again but I heard banging."

"Nope. It was Sophia. And some Nazis. Maybe I should be proud. I got Nazis to work with a black chick..." He smiled weakly at his attempted humor. "Almost done?"

The Nazi's probably recognized a kindred spirit. Just like them Sophia wanted to cleanse the weak. If she'd been born white, I'm sure she'd been in Empire Eighty-Eight. Looking at James I was obviously going to have to force the issue. "So, I don't think you asked me here to talk about lockers..."

"Actually, I did. Or more accurately, what I think happened in there. Sorry, I know you don't want to talk about it, and it's really not something you should bring up." Like an old car he stuttered, but somehow kept on going. "And I don't mean you-you, I mean a more general you, in this case me - I mean..."

My sympathy for James being stuffed in a locker faded quickly as he tried to equate our two experiences. They weren't the same. I'd suffered a fucking psychotic break when I got powers. He'd gotten up and walked away like nothing had happened. Then he tried to claim they'd given him powers?! This had to be some kind of setup. Without conscious control I'd been drawing in bugs from all around. I had more flies than anything and not many good attack bugs. I sent my swarm out searching all around. If this was a setup, if the trio or anyone else was listening in, I'd know soon.

"The same thing happened to me right before I ended up in the locker. I think... I, uh, think I'm," I try not to be too obvious about glancing around the joint. Thankfully it's still mostly empty, so my absolute lack of subtlety is probably unnoticed. "A parahuman."

No way. "Getting yourself out of a clean locker gave you powers? And what powers do you have?"

"No, it was the beating and threatened stabbing beforehand that did it. And I-"

"Who put you up to this?" My bugs hadn't found a trio of girls or anyone else watching, but I couldn't be sure of that. While I could locate people easily enough, determining what they were doing was more of a challenge. He had me in a bad spot, but some wasps had arrived and I could call upon along with a ton of flies. However, we were in a public place. Using them would blow my secret right open.

"I triggered. At first it just seemed like a really crappy Thinker power - I can tell exactly how close to dying I am. And watching that tick closer while those punks beat me-"

Sure he had. I'd been a victim of Sophia's too often to believe that. It was an odd relief to know that he was lying. "Stop. You're not even good at this. You aren't injured, not even bruised. Your clothes are barely ruffled."

"That's the second thing I noticed - I seem to regenerate. Not too fast, but maybe nine or ten minutes from almost dead to perfectly fine."

"That's... convenient." Too convenient. So this was some kind of trap. I'd now tagged everyone nearby and none of them matched the trio. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Well, it seems I also get some information about everyone I look at. Name. Threat level. And some extra information. Like 'unaffiliated parahuman'. And... I don't know. It just seemed like... you're a friend, and neither of us has many, and all things considered I thought I could tell you."

A friend?! There was no one else. Just James and me and he thought we were locker buddies now. Some of my flies buzzed him and I had to consciously reel them in. "Friends? You think we're friends? When did we become friends? Did you help out when I was being bullied? Did you get me out of the locker? Did you tell ANYONE who did that to me?"

"I tried-"

Bullshit. "Tried? What did you try?"

"Do you remember that… What about the time I… sonovacrap. I tried to let you out of the locker, but Madison tackled me. Broke my collarbone. But the weird strap set-up the doctor's had me on by the time you got back to school was probably covered by my backpack every time we bumped into each other in the hall. I've got no way of proving shit though."

And he just kept shoveling on the bullshit. I knew my anger was getting the best of me. Pushing it into my swarm helped keep my anger cold instead of hot, but I had to hold my bugs back from swarming James and I wasn't doing a good enough job. Several of them buzzed James, a symptom of my ill-repressed anger.

Then James made a grab for me. That was unexpected, but I still yanked my hand out of the way while sending in my wasps. Except he wasn't grabbing for my hand. He grabbed my fork and stabbed his own hand. I quickly had my wasps veer off. That had been close. I'd almost blown my secret identity. Fuck! Regenerative powers. James was trying to prove it – in public. I lunged across the table, yanked the fork out and tossed it aside. No blood. No wound. However, his face was certainly twisted up to show that it still hurt. "Are you okay?"

James held up his hand clearly showing what I'd already seen. No visible damage. "Huh. You saw that, right?"

So James was some kind of low end brute. That explained how he'd dented the hell out of my locker, but he was being stupid. Someone might notice. I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him outside. We needed somewhere to talk more privately. My bugs and some crabs informed me that there was a delivery truck in the closest alleyway, but the tide was out and there were no people under the boardwalk. Not letting go of James's hand, I pulled him past some shops, down an unmarked stairwell to the beach and under the boardwalk.

Walking gave me a chance to get myself under control although I was far from calm. What had James been thinking? No, he clearly hadn't been thinking, but that wasn't exactly new for James. Between the bullying and not having him in classes I'd forgotten what James was like. He was what my mother called a narrow intellect, brilliant in some narrow field, clueless about everything else. Narrow intellects didn't impress mom, too caught up in their own head to see the world around them. That fit James. Now to explain it to him in small words.

.oOo.

I stayed under the boardwalk when James left to hurry home warned by a quest alert. I needed some time to think things through. James wanted to team up. He considered me a friend and I liked that feeling. Thinking back I remembered something that I'd lost in the shuffle of events. James claimed he'd defended me in the locker and Madison of all people had broken his collarbone. Had that been true?

Probably, yes. Frankly, he wasn't good enough of an actor to fake his reactions. A broken bone was a whale of a story to just make up. Lots of people had to know that. There would be medical and school records. Not to mention that lots of people should have seen Madison tackle him. If I hadn't been out of school for a week and a half and totally cut off from school gossip, then I would have known about it. Just like everyone knew the trio put me in the locker. So… what did that say about me? Were there others like James out there that had tried to help me, and I'd been too busy having my personal pity party to notice?

Did it matter? The past was the past. Learn the lesson and try to do better. For now that meant accepting the hand that James offered in friendship. He wanted to team up and was willing to let me take the lead. That was good. Independent heroes didn't last long, but small teams had much better odds. Even Uber and Leet were still around. Plus he was a low-end brute. Given that I was squishy even with my armor, a brute as a partner would be a good thing. Especially if he got tougher as he gained 'experience.' That would need testing.

I scattered my swarm out and headed toward the stairs. I needed to do some research. I knew very little about the various RPG type games. I had once received a little gaming console for Christmas which I mostly ignored. I played Tetris, some virtual pet game, and another game with some guy with a sword running around trying to rescue a princess. Naturally I couldn't play a girl with a sword trying to rescue the prince. Levels and hit points reminded me of that and also that Capes and Crooks game that Greg Veder tried to get me to 'play' with him. I'd seen some games like that in used bookstores. There was one not too far off the boardwalk. If I was going to be doing testing with James on Saturday, then I'd better learn the lingo. They might even have some good ideas.


	8. Tutorial 2-1

Tutorial 2.1

 **[9:54:34 AM]**

"You're early," Taylor greets me, perched on a rusty oil drum. An overstuffed duffle bag rests beside on the corroded deck of the container ship she's selected for our training.

"Thanks for the directions." Only moments after I entered the Ship's Graveyard, ladybugs had formed arrows in front of me; clustered on walls, crawling along the ground, and even buzzing through the air. I'm not quite sure how she spotted me, though. Considering how much of a maze this place is, I'm glad her powers are good for scouting and guiding like that. We're fairly deep in the labyrinth of destroyed boats of all varieties. Seriously, I think I see a canoe over there. I wonder if someone left it here as a joke?

 **[Quest Completed!]**  
 **[You have gained 200 XP]**  
 **[You have unlocked the tutorial!]**  
 **[Would you like to view the tutorial now?]**  
 **[Yes] [No]**

Taylor's voice comes from behind the floating blue window in front of me. "Are you okay? You've got a weird look on your face…"

"I just finished the quest to meet you here. 200 XP and it 'unlocked the tutorial'. It wants to know if I want to view the tutorial now?" I push it to the side, next to my level up notice from last night. "It's kinda annoying that these block my view when they pop up. At least I can just slide them to the side if I'm not ready to close 'em."

"Why would you leave them open?"

I don't want to admit how little I know about my powers, especially not to someone who has already shown me some pretty cool tricks with her power. But I'm not seeing a way around it. "Um… I'm not sure how to open screens up again. And I don't want to wait for however long it'll take to level up again to spend my points."

"So you really do get points? Do you know what this means?" Her eyes widened alarmingly. She's suddenly right in front of me, a large book in her hands now. I don't think I even saw her move. "What stats can you spend them on? What are your stats at now? Why haven't you spent them already?"

I take a half-step back, sliding my backpack to the ground while I'm at it. "Yes. No?" I pull the level up screen (level 2) just barely back into view. "4 strength, 7 agility, 12 vitality, 39 intelligence, 4 wisdom-"

Taylor's chuckle interrupts my recital. It's not the most feminine laugh, but it doesn't grate like the giggles of some of the girls at school. Madison being an infamous, ear-splittingly bad example.

I've been told enough times that I'm inattentive (a symptom of low Wisdom in Dungeons and Dragons) that I can understand it, ignore it, and soldier on. "-and 5 luck. I wanted to check with you before I spent any. Should I focus on vitality to tank for you? Strength to put attackers down hard or hold them still for you? Agility to actually be able to hit them?" Taylor is silent, so I continue, "I also practiced with Observe some -"

 **[Taylor Hebert]**  
 **[Level 12]**  
 **[Novice Hero]**  
 **[A classmate of The Gamer, Taylor has revealed that she can control invertebrates with a Parahuman power.]**

"What happened?" A slim hand pokes through the window and waves in front of my nose.

"I… just accidentally triggered that power that gives me a little more detail about who or whatever I'm focused on." I really hope unintentional power use isn't the cape equivalent of peeing one's pants. Or worse. "Your title has changed."

"It was **[Unaffiliated Parahuman]** , right?" I can only assume the look on Taylor's face is much like the one I get when I'm reading notes in my head.

I nod. "And now it's **[Novice Hero]**. I wonder how much that even means? After all, titles in games can be purely cosmetic, or really awesome boosts to stats or skills or growth."

"No way to tell though?"

"Not that I've found yet."

"Well, maybe we should learn more about your power first. Go ahead and open the tutorial."

"...sounds weird without a computer around…" I mutter as I pull the window back into view and poke the Yes.

Taylor doesn't let that slide. "...looks weird, poking your fingers at nothing."

She's probably right.

 **[Tutorial Start!]**  
 **[Tutorial Part One of Five: Stats and Skills]**  
 **[The Gamer is a power that allows its wielder, also known as The Gamer, to live in the real world as if he is a game character.]**  
 **[Stats are quantified and improve only by discrete amounts. Say "status window" with intent to open your character page to review stats and spend points earned by leveling. Try it now.]**

I just stare at the screen. I can't believe I missed something that obvious. Heck, I can't believe my powers really are that videogame themed. Kinda thought all those windows were just my own weirdness effecting my power, to be honest.

"Are you okay?" Taylor's voice breaks me from my thoughts.

"Yeah. **[Status Window]** "

 **[James Barron]**  
 **[The Gamer]**  
 **[Level 2]**  
 **[200/500 XP]**  
 **[HP: 160/160]**  
 **[MP: 430/430]**  
 **[STR: 4]**  
 **[AGI: 7]**  
 **[VIT: 12]**  
 **[INT: 39]**  
 **[WIS: 4]**  
 **[LUK: 5]**  
 **[Points: 5]**  
 **[Money: $0]**

"Okay, that works." I dismiss the nearly-identical level-up window from the corner of my sight. I spent about half an hour bouncing off walls before I realized I could shove windows out of my face.

 **[Stats can be improved by spending points or through concerted effort. Each level of a stat takes more effort to earn, but any level only takes one more point to improve.]**

Good, some games make you spend more points every certain number of levels. Like one point per level from 1-10, two per level from 11-20, and so on. It adds up quickly, and makes min-maxing almost wasteful. This gives me more freedom in how I build my chara- Myself. God, that's creepy. I'm my character.

 **[Skills is the term for special abilities granted or boosted by The Gamer. Skills also increase by discrete amounts. Say "skill window" with intent to review your skills and their levels. Try it now.]**

" **[Skill Window]** " A window with four icons appears in front of me. The first two are unfamiliar, but I immediately recognize the others. **[Sense Danger, Level 1]** and **[Observe, Level 3]**. I played around with **[Observe]** a bit last night, but got bored when leveling didn't seem to change it much.

The other two I haven't seen before. I poke the first one.

 **[A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl MAX]**  
 **[Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.]**

I guess that's why I know when Taylor is being scary, but don't really feel fear normally. Wonder if it affects Master powers? Let's see what the other one does.

 **[A Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl MAX]**  
 **[Grants the user a body like a game character. Health and general soundness of body are reflected as HP. Powers and special efforts use MP. Sleeping restores all HP/MP and relieves all status effects.]**

I had guessed as much, and there had been a popup about being fully restored this morning. That one I'd felt safe dismissing.

 **[Skills can be gained from special actions or by using skill books.]**

I wonder what counts as a skill book? I've got a few how-to books in my room. Chinese calligraphy and programming in BASIC. Nothing amazing, but I can use them to check if regular books count. I dismiss the skill window for now.

 **[Tutorial Part One: Completed!]**  
 **[10 XP Awarded]**  
 **[Tutorial Part Two of Five: Party System]**

Party system? Really? How… I wonder how much this even does?

 **[Leaving your friends out is rude. Share the fun by forming a party and inviting them!]**

...what's up with this tutorial? I look over at Taylor, who looks like she can't decide whether she's bored watching me stand there silently or amused by me essentially making odd faces and flailing at what looks like thin air.

 **[Say "create party [name]" with intent to form a party. Try it now.]**

" **[Create Party]** ...tutorial?"

 **[Party "Tutorial?" Created]**

I think my power is mocking me.

 **[Say "invite [name]" with intent to invite that person into the party. Try it now.]**

Well, there's only one person to invite.. "[ **Invite Taylor Hebert]** "

"What was th- AH!" She squeaks, but composes herself quickly and pokes the window hovering in front of her.

 **[Taylor Hebert has accepted your invite.]**

So not fair. I was hoping she'd freak out a just a little.

 **[Party members can benefit from some aspects of The Gamer's power. Stat points and skills can be earned in a manner similar to The Gamer.]**

"Really?" Taylor looks more excited by the text than by having freaking windows appearing in front of her face. " **[Skills Window]** " She's now happily jabbing away at the screen, humming thoughtfully. "How do you gain stats and skills?"

"I got five points to spend on stats from leveling up. Some games you get more points at higher levels, but most actually stay the same amount each time, so it'll probably stay the same." I think I'm forgetting something. "Oh! Not only did I get the one point of vitality in your locker, I earned three running home last night and two more running here today. Exercise works, with diminishing returns. Which I guess is kinda normal"

She nods behind her screen.

"Skills… so far I seem to get them based on things I do, but the tutorial said I can also use skill books to get new skills."

Taylor dismisses her window and starts giving me that wide-eyed look again, but more so. Like she's got ideas. She raises a finger, then drops it. "We'll come back to that. Can you make the tutorial continue?"

It seems that's the cue it was waiting for.

 **[Party members can also voice chat by stating the name of the party member they wish to contact, or all, with intent. Ending a chat simply requires stating "End" with intent. Please be aware that this is voice chat, not telepathy.]**

I want to be insulted, but I'd probably make a call during stake-out and get someone killed without that reminder. ...I might still…

"I'll remind you." Her smirk is just as evident in her voice as on her face.

"That obvious?"

"Wis 4. On that subject, I want to see how much better level 12 is. **[Status Window]** Okay. Nice. Nice. Sweet. Awesome. ...FUCK!"

"What's wrong?"

"I have no luck." Her voice is flat and emotionless again, like at Fugly Bob's. Even aimed at her screen instead of me, her glare is still impressive.

I'm not sure what the deal is, but she seems really upset. I try to empathize. "My luck isn't exactly great eithe-"

"Not low luck. No luck. None," she rants, "Zero. Zilch. Cero. Less than one. It's…"

 **[Party members can choose to share XP evenly, regardless of actual contribution to earning the XP, provided all party members are within 10 levels of each other. Otherwise, XP is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.]**

Maybe I can lighten the mood. "Hey, I can just leach off my level 12 friend until I've got a few levels to work with."

She gives me a fake glare.

Well, I hope it's fake.

 **[Tutorial Part Two: Completed!]**  
 **[10 XP Awarded]**  
 **[Tutorial Part Three of Five: Illusion Barriers]**

 **[Now that you've stood around poking at thin air and generally looking silly to any outside observer, it's time to show you how to practice in private.]**

It really does seem like my power likes teasing me. ...I wonder what that says about me, psychologically speaking… Taylor's short laugh lets me now she's still reading along.

 **[This power can only be activated by The Gamer, but companions can be brought into the Illusion Barrier. To create an Illusion Barrier, simply raise one hand over your head, focus you energy there, and then flare it. Try it now.]**

It reminds me of an Earth Aleph series I watched a few years ago. For a few minutes back then, I almost managed to convince myself I could feel a glowing energy throughout my body and draw it into one finger so I could fire off a Spirit Gun blast. Today, I really can feel the energy when I focus. I raise my right hand and energy from throughout my body converges there. I pulse the glowing energy hidden inside my hand.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action!]**

The sudden silence is disturbing. I'd barely even noticed the creaking of shifting wrecks and gentle sloshing of waves, but it's obvious when they stop.

 **[A skill to make Illusion Barriers, [ID Create], has been created.]**  
 **[ID Create (Active) Lvl 1 XP 0.0%]**  
 **[Used to create instant dungeons. Stronger instant dungeons can be created according to level.]**

That sounds like more than just a way to get some privacy. Too bad "stronger" doesn't really tell me anything useful. It could mean a lot of things.

"It worked, right? Everything looks the same, but the noise all stopped. And I can only sense the bugs I had on me." Taylor looks around uneasily, but the small swarm of wasps and ladybugs suddenly surrounding her are buzzing and zipping around like they're trying to find a hidden attacker.

Looking around, nearly everything looks the same. I do notice my backpack is gone. A second glance reveals that Taylor's duffle is missing as well. Better keep anything important in my hands if I use this in the future. "Yeah, it worked. And I got a skill called **[ID Create]** to do it again."

 **[Exiting the Illusion Barrier is almost the same. Raise your hand, focus your power, and flair it with the intent of exiting the barrier. But don't do it yet. We'll be finishing your tutorial here in the Illusion Barrier.]**

 **[Tutorial Part Three: Completed!]**  
 **[10 XP Awarded]**  
 **[Tutorial Part Four of Five: Inventory and Equipment]**

"…" I think I love my power. Even the lamest game inventories, with space and weight limits, are infinitely better than fumbling through your pockets for the right item or fighting to keep everything balanced in a heavier load. And since I didn't find the opening on accident, even when showering this morning, I bet anything I put in there will be pretty damn secure. Not to mention concealed. I can actually start collecting manga again, without having to worry about smuggling it past my mom.

 **[The Gamer has access to an extra-dimensional storage space that cannot be accessed by normal means. The interface for this inventory can also be used to review and quickly change equipment. While party members don't gain access to their own extra-dimensional space, they can still use this feature to sort items on hand and manage equipment. Say "inventory" with intent to access the inventory. Try it now.]**

"Yes!" Taylor happily spins to look at where her bag was. "No!"

"What?"

"You don't get it? We can use the inventory to do quick changes. My costume takes almost half an hour to get into, but with your power, I can switch into it in a second." Her excitement fades as quickly as it appeared. "Or I could, if your power hadn't left it in another dimension."

 **[Presents have been left for The Gamer and party member in the inventory. It's rude to withhold a present for a lady.]**

Hint taken, power. " **[Inventory]** "

A beige window appears in front of me. There's a diagram of me on the left side of the screen, displaying everything I'm wearing, and little box-like slots with each item displayed separately. [ **Red Hand-me-down T-Shirt]** , **[Comfy Blue Jeans]** , [ **Worn Socks]** , [ **Old Sneakers]** , even [ **Expired Sample Contacts]** and [ **Lucky Boxers]**. Nope, never ever letting anyone see my inventory screen.

I focus on the right side of the screen. A four by six grid of boxes fills most of the space, with left and right arrows at the bottom. I guess that means I've got more than just 24 slots to work with, but there's no indicator of how many there are in total. I really doubt I've got infinite pages. And if I did, it'd be a huge pain to find everything out of hundreds of pages of junk. The first two spaces are already full. The first has an **[Aluminium Baseball Bat]**. The second is a [ **Pink Wooden Bat]**.

This feels like a trick question. Wordlessly, I draw the metal bat out of thin air and hand it to Taylor. The pink bat's icon is slid into the "main weapon" slot. The bat instantly appears in my hand. So cool.

Taylor gives the bats a look, and smirks at me, but doesn't comment.

 **[A smart decision causes you WIS to go up by 1.]**

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!]**

 **[Tutorial Part Four: Completed!]**  
 **[10 XP Awarded]**  
 **[Tutorial Part Five of Five: Combat and Victory]**

I think I should have kept the better bat.


	9. Tutorial 2-2

Tutorial 2.2

Oh fuck no. I do not want to fight a level 12 when I'm only level 2, and haven't even spent my stat points. This is bullshit. I want a refund. I want to talk to the man in char-

 **[Combat works largely the same as in the real world. To demonstrate, here's a zombie.]**

Oh good. I'm not fighting Taylor. Wait, zombie?

A shambling corpse appears about twenty feet from us, near the bow of the ship. If it were dark out, I'd almost believe it had just melted out of the shadows. It's grotesque. Rotten flesh, maggot-ridden flesh, drooping flesh, swollen flesh, and missing flesh all mix into a patchwork horror no movie has ever truly portrayed. If it weren't for **Gamer's Mind,** I'm sure I'd already be puking from the putrid smell of it. As is, I can hear Taylor fighting to hold her own gorge down.

 **[It's always best to know what you're getting into. Use {Observe} on opponents to identify potential weaknesses.]**

I can already see the floating tags identifying it as a level 6 zombie, but more information can't hurt. " **[Observe]** "

 **[Zombie Lvl 6]**  
 **[HP: 600/600 MP: 37/37]**  
 **[A walking corpse. No matter how it died, it hates the living, attacking and eating their flesh. Although it's slow, its strength is twice as much as when it was living.]**

"It's strong but slow. Pretty basic zombie, I guess." I don't know if Taylor has **[Observe]** or even if she can get it. It's not like she couldn't have guessed, but it's probably safer to share.

 **[Attacking works just like in real life. Hit your target until it stops moving, using whatever weapons you have. Try it now.]**

Well, that's easy enough. While I really don't want to approach the reeking, rotting revenant, I'm not really afraid to do it. Thank you, **[Gamer's Mind]**. I choke up on the bat and rush forward.

Taylor's upward swing hits the zombie below the belt and takes it clean off its feet before I even get in range. **[Critical!]** Over half its red HP bar disappears in an instant. I'm too close and moving too fast to make the strike I was planning, but I manage to slam the butt of the pink bat into the airborne zombie's chest, throwing it into the ground. A sliver of HP vanishes from the initial hit, but impacting the ground takes it down to a little over 20%. With a quick spin of her bat on the downstroke of her initial blow, Taylor pulps the zombie's head. At 0% HP, the zombie melts into some kind of semi-solid shadow-stuff that evaporates in a matter of seconds. Damn, that must've looked badass. I only wish it was on purpose.

A wave of blue and pink windows appear in my face.

 **[You've got 64 XP]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**  
 **[A skill to knock enemies to the ground, {Grounding Strike}, has been created.]**  
 **[Grounding Strike (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0% / MP 10]**  
 **[Knocks the target out of the air. 15% increase in attack damage per foot to ground.]**  
 **[...and knock 'em down.]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**  
 **[A skill to utilize blunt weapons freely, {Blunt Weapon Mastery}, has been created.]**  
 **[Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**  
 **[Allows user to freely handle blunt weapons. 10% increase in attack damage with blunt weapons. 5% increase in attack speed with blunt weapons.]**

Oh hells yeah. With the number of flying capes out there, I'm sure to benefit from **[Grounding Strike]** sooner or later. And **[Blunt Weapon Mastery]** is just plain overpowered. 5% increase in speed AND 10% damage? What'll that be like at max level? And XP is always welcome. I dismiss my windows.

Taylor is swiping at thin air. Oh, that's what I look like doing that. Hmm. Might want to figure out how to be more discrete about it. Best case scenario, I look like I'm trying to act cat-like and failing. More likely, people will think I'm having a spaz attack..

I guess she really can get skills too. "What did you get?"

" **[Rising Strike]** , **[Blunt Weapon Mastery]** , and **[Finishing Blow]**. What did you get?" Pride or maybe even glee fills her voice.

Ah. **That's** the face she keeps making when she finds something about my power interesting. "Nice. I got **[Grounding Strike]** and **[Blunt Weapon Mastery]**. That weapon mastery is freaking awesome. Something's weird about **[Grounding Strike]** though. The description had an extra line, dot dot dot 'and knock 'em down'?"

Taylor's laughter is unexpected. "My **[Rising Strike]** says 'Set 'em up…' " She waits for me to get the joke.

"...my power is weird."

She starts laughing again, and I have to chuckle a little.

 **[Nicely done! Defending also works like real life: try to not get hit, and if you do, expect it to hurt. Since you've already broken your first zombie, have a few more.]**

Only one new zombie appears, standing only a few feet further along the bow. That's not "a few more". I must be missing some-

Taylor suddenly lunges away. A rotting arm thrusts through the space she's just vacated. Oh. I turn just in time to catch the flash of white bone exposed through missing knuckle-flesh before pain shoots through my temple.

 **[Danger!]**

 **[Critical hit!]**  
 **[-47 HP]**  
 **[113/160 HP]**

Fucking ouch. I'm on my back on the deck, one zombie right over me and another stumbling towards us. Taylor seems to be handling her corpse just fine. There's some kind of indicator blinking in the corner of my vision, but I don't have time to look at it. I don't think crawling to my feet with an enemy so close is a good idea, and I am so not capable of just flipping to my feet. Instead, I tuck my arms in and roll down the shallow slope of the deck. Memo to me: see if I can create a skill for getting to my feet quickly. Safely away from the undead, for now, and face-down, I scramble to my feet.

Roll roll roll. Thunk. Conveniently, the pink bat decided to follow me. I glance down to grab it.

 **[Danger!]**

That fucking zombie is in my face again, the other one only a little behind. I can tell which one is closer, as it's the only one with flesh-less knuckles. Thankfully, I've got a little more room this time. And I'm more than a little pissed. That hurt! I put my whole weight into one over-done overhead smash.

He goes to his knees, but only about a fifth of his health fades. A second indicator starts blinking and goes ignored. The other zombie, which I passingly notice is a woman, or at least was one. Great, I've got his and hers matching zombies. Either way, I've got no chivalry for the undead. Another over-wound swing, this one from the side, topples her on top of the other zombie, knocking him over again. Wailing wildly away on them isn't sporting, but, you know… zombies.

I might have felt a little bad about it, but the girl manages to grab my ankle and pull me off my feel. The danger notice only pops up after she's latched on. Her grip alone is strong enough to take 6 more HP off me. And landing on my ass does 2 HP damage. I smack her arm a few times to get her to let go, then scramble back to my feet. Thankfully, the two corpses are so tangled up they don't get back up as quickly. I go back to smashing them with the bat, now with a little more vigor. It takes an embarrassingly long time to finish them off, and none of my subsequent strikes do as much as the first few.

As the revenants evaporate, I look up to see Taylor staring at me. I guess she finished well before me. And I probably **was** laughing a bit for a minute there.

 **[You got 192 XP]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**  
 **[Through the power of your body to endure pain and damage, {Physical Endurance}, has been created.]**  
 **[Physical Endurance (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 5.24%]**  
 **[The body's durability increases and you take less damage. 3% decrease in damage from physical attacks.]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**  
 **[A skill to deliver a strong blow, {Power Strike}, has been created.]**  
 **[Power Strike (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 23.4% / MP 10]**  
 **[Strikes the target with strong force. 15% increase in critical rate. 50% increase in attack damage.]**

I might be drooling as I dismiss the windows. Just a few more skills like these, or a few levels in them, and I'll… probably still be no match for any real Parahuman. But I won't have to worry about getting mugged by a normal criminal. I might even survive facing two or three at a time.

"You… you've got a little something on your face." Taylor points to her cheek.

I reach up and wipe something wet off my face. Nasty. I'm not describing it, but I may have been a little overzealous with the zombies.

 **[Now that you've learned about attacking and defending, along with an impromptu lesson in handling multiple opponents, let's discuss loot.]**

Someone's squealing with glee. It may or may not be me.

* * *

Author's Note: In regards to the "Guest" review - If you'd taken a moment to read the top of the page, the interlude was guest written. Beyond that... I'd give your comments more weight if you had the courtesy to attempt a more polite wording.


	10. Tutorial 2-3

Tutorial 2.3

Taylor's giving me an odd look. I guess she isn't familiar with the glory of loot.

 **[For the uninitiated, loot is a term for items left behind by defeated enemies. This can include weapons, clothing, armor, accessories, consumables, crafting materials, skill books, currency, or other useful items.]**

She looks more interested now. I hope I'm not drooling.

 **[Loot that has yet to be picked up will glimmer slightly to the eyes of The Gamer and party members. For the sake of demonstration, more loot than usual has been dropped by the zombies you just destroyed.]**

Even with a boost, I can't expect much out of a few zombies. Still, it's easy even in midday light to spot the glittering trinkets at my feet left. Looks like the undead I killed over here left two shards of something like amethyst, a tooth, and a rib bone. I guess I know what to do now.

"You mind getting anything over there? **[Observe]** , **[Observe]** , **[Observe]** "

 **[Tooth of the Dead]**

 **[Rank: Low; Type: Crafting Item]**

 **[A dirty and filthy tooth filled with the resentment of the dead. Used for black magic, alchemy, and crafting.]**

 **[Soul Shard]**

 **[Rank: Low]**

 **[A crystal shard created by fusing a number of souls. Useful for some things.]**

 **[Rib of the Dead]**

 **[Rank: Low-Medium; Type: Crafting Item]**

 **[A grimy and broken rib filled with the vigor of the undead. Used for black magic, alchemy, and crafting.]**

I walk over to Taylor, who using her foot to nudge at the loose pile of loot left over from the two zombies that fell on that side of the deck. It looks like two more **[Soul Shards]** , another **[Tooth of the Dead]** , a piece of paper, and a roll of pale, vaguely gross leather. "What've we got here? **[Observe]** and **[Observe]** "

 **[Skin of the Dead]**

 **[Rank: Medium; Type: Crafting Item]**

 **[Leather tanned from the hide of a zombie. Filled with the resilience of the undead. Used for black magic, alchemy, and crafting.]**

 **[Blueprint: Undead Pauldrons]**

 **[Rank: Low-Medium]**

 **[Shoulder armor made from parts of vanquished undead. Protects against some damage and grants a bonus to VIT. Requires 1 {Skin of the Dead}, 4 {Rib of the Dead}, and 10 {Tooth of the Dead}]**

"What is it?"

"Nasty. The teeth and this rib" I show Taylor my fistful of loot. "And the leather are all from zombies. They can be used to make things. And the gems are soul stones. In most games, they can be used to make magic items."

"And yet, you still sound excited."

I hold up the blueprint, grinning. "Magic armor. Or at least the plans to make it with a few more ribs and teeth. It'll be a little gross and dark, but magic armor is magic armor. And there should be better drops later, from stronger enemies. Also, the tutorial did mention money."

She still doesn't seem convinced. "Magic armor? Your power may be weird, but I'd be careful about calling it magic. Myrddin is the head of the Chicago Protectorate, and a very powerful cape, but a lot of people talk about him like he's a few bees short of a hive because he claims to cast spells." She shrugs. "I'm not saying the armor won't work, I just wouldn't call it magic. I did get some nice skills off that last fight… Anyway, I've got **[Dodge]** and **[Combat Mapping]** now. I can use **[Combat Mapping]** to keep track of enemies."

Well, until I get more materials, I can't exactly believe it yet myself. Tinkering is one thing, enchanted gear made from zombie bits is… unusual. And I'm pretty sure Dauntless, the most similar power I've heard of, can't share his gear.

Her new skills sound awesome. "This is my jealous face. Knowing where your enemies are is much better than getting warned of danger too late to avoid it. And dodging is always better than taking 3% less damage like I get from **[Physical Resistance]**. I also got **[Power Strike]**. It does more damage, but costs MP."

Taylor nods. "3% is something. Maybe it can improve with training." She pauses for a moment. "And more damage is always good." She pauses again. " ...when it happens to other people." Taylor's words surge and halt, like an overeager horse she keeps reining in.

"We'll try later. For now, I kinda want to finish this tutorial."

"James? Wait please." Taylor is staring at me intently. "I need to say something." Never good words to hear from a girl. "Your power is really useful." But…? "Even if it were just a Thinker power and quantifying what we learned, it's given me so many hints about how I can improve myself that I hardly know where to start." Says the level 12 to the level 2. "But it seems you power is more. That it can help people acquire and improve skills. That's… so useful. I want to see if I can learn all those skills, but… this is **important**. You **need** to be careful."

She takes a moment to catch her breath. "I like you."

Mike drop. Pause everything. Did she just-

"We're at least partners, and I'd say friends, even if your power hadn't said so."

Ah. Okay. Back in familiar territory.

"It would be so easy to get swept up in the numbers and skills, but I'm not going to use you for your power. Someone else might. You need to be very careful about who finds out about your powers. A lot of new capes get pressed into gangs. If Empire Eighty-Eight knew about you…"

They'd burn the Docks to the ground, or even go to war with Lung himself to get their hands on me. If what I'm starting to suspect about my powers is true, I could probably boost even a relatively minor threat like Skidmark to Triumvirate levels given time. If any gang gets me… they'd never let me go.

Taylor isn't done, "Even the Wards. If you join the Protectorate, even in a minor capacity, they'll turn you into a personal trainer. They'll keep you far from combat and keep you training others all the time."

Maybe it would be for the best. The amount of good I could do, even indirectly, might be worth it. But I have to admit it, now that I have powers, I kinda want to get out there and get my hands dirty. I don't want to spend my days tucked away in a bunker-dojo, never getting to use my skills in a practical setting. But I can't just squander this power, the ability to share it…

"I wouldn't want to be treated like that if it was my power. So… yeah, just needed to say that. Um, are we still good?" She seems hesitant, like she thinks she said something wrong.

I take a moment to process. Heck, even if it was just the brief moment of thinking a girl who's suddenly gone from acquaintance to confident actually wanted more, I'd need some time. But this stark reminder of what my power could mean, the danger I might be in… I take a deep breath. "Taylor. You've given me no reason to stop trusting you. And you've given me a lot to think about. I've been a little swept up in the whole 'omigawd-I-have-powers' thing. I didn't even consider the implications of all this," I wave my hand at, oh right, the zombies dissolved… "I still think we should join the Wards at some point, but you're clearly thinking this through more than me. Whether we join them, work with just us, or start a new independent team, you're the boss."

Taylor's just staring at me. Did I just ruin things by being too… dramatic?

 **[A smart decision causes your WIS to go up by 1.]**

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has advanced from 'Friends' to 'Teammates']**

...reassurance from my own power seems a little hollow… Something needs to break the silence.

 **[This Illusion Barrier is useless now. Exit it to end to tutorial.]**

That works. Well, there's nothing left to do in here, and I want to get back to my backpack. I've got lunch bagged up for both of us, and zombie smashing is hungry work. Right hand up, energy focused, intent to exit is a go.

It's almost like someone painted the sky on the inside of a cheap glass bowl, then chucked a stone through it. Just to reveal the real sky behind it. And the sounds we'd just gotten used to not hearing restart. Waves crash, birds chirp, and bugs all buzz up to Taylor like they're greeting a long lost friend.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action!]**

 **[A skill to exit Illusion Barriers, [ID Escape], has been created.]**

 **[ID Escape (Active) Lvl 1 XP 0.0%]**

 **[Used to exit instant dungeons. Higher levels can be used to escape more powerful barriers.]**

I hope that doesn't mean I could get stuck in one of my own barriers if I don't keep up with leveling this. Better safe than sorry though. I'll make sure to keep it even with ID Create, however that works.

 **[Tutorial Part Five of Five Complete!]**

 **[Tutorial Complete!]**

 **[10 XP awarded!]**

 **[A "Beginner's Guide to The Gamer" has been added to your inventory.]**

 **[You've gained 1 level.]**

Along with all the other windows popping up, I get another 'spend your points' abbreviated form of my character screen. I dismiss it with the rest. Food first. Then I can ask Taylor if she has any ideas where I should spend my points.

 **[A smart decision causes your WIS to go up by 1.]**

Speaking of Taylor, it looks like she's… petting a loose cloud of hornets, wasps, and ladybugs. And cooing at them. It's creepily cute. Kind of like an inverse-Madison. Should be creepy, but is cute. Somehow.

" **[Inventory]** " I stuff the various bits of loot into my own private extradimensional storage and watch them sort out into separate slots. You'd think after seeing it in a hundred games it wouldn't be so cool to see it in person. But for now I should focus on my more mundane storage. I fish a few things out of my backpack. "Hungry? The quest suggested packing a lunch, so I brought PB&J. And faux-ham-salad sandwiches, but carnivores seem to find that gross."

Taylor looks surprised I'm still here, but recovers quickly. "Maybe in a bit. I… want to ask your opinion on something. Can you wait a minute? Or you could set up lunch. I'll be right back." She grabs her duffle and zips behind a container the size of a boxcar.

Strange girl. But I might as well get lunch ready. There's a blanket to unfold, two tupperware containers to keep the sandwiches from squishing ('cause squished PB&J is not the same), and a couple bottles of water. It still barely takes a minute to get it all arranged.

Apparently that's enough. "Don't laugh." She steps into view.

Oh. Damn. She did mention wanting to try the quick change. Now that is a costume.

Overall, she's got a bit of a knight-in-shining-armor thing going on, plus a regal robe. But that doesn't do it justice. It's still built for agility and the detail is amazing. The whole thing works together flawlessly. So many starting capes have mismatched pieces forming their first 'costume'. If this was an online RPG, Taylor would have a matching set compared to their mismatched starter gear.

The first thing I notice is a big red cloak she's pushing behind her shoulders, probably so I can actually see the rest of the costume. The cloak has a black inner lining, and I think I saw black circles on the back before it moved out of sight.

From there I work my way down. She's wearing a fairly simple white helmet with a gold crown fused to it. The helmet is kinda medieval, but lacks a visor or faceplate. Instead, she has a white mask shaped like a stern, regal woman's face, except for some really intimidating yellow lenses in place of eyes. Her dark curly hair hangs out the back, highlighting her femininity.

There's a golden breastplate done in a vaguely organic style next. The… ah… chest… is a little bigger than I think Taylor is naturally, but still done in a sensible single-breasted, high-coverage style. None of that pseudo-bodice lift-and-separate, guide-swords-to-the-center nonsense you see in fantasy games. Or on most armor-wearing female capes. The entire piece also extends down to her belt, instead of leaving room to show off abs and ask to be gutted.

Her gold-colored belt has a bright red clasp in the shape of a ladybug. The entire thing seems to be a row of pockets, each bulging slightly. There's something with a red cap that doesn't quite fit in one of the pockets. Looks like my sister's pepper spray. Come to think of it, that's probably what it is.

Considering how practical the rest of the outfit seems, I'm not really sure what's up with the skirt. It looks more like someone decided to tie a dozen scarves in white, gold, and black to her belt. They're artistically draped, looping around to form a modest cover with a partial split in the middle. Well, it does look good, and isn't too long, so it shouldn't get in the way.

Gloves and boots are both what I expect. Gold-colored. Mid-forearm and mid-calf. Functional but elegant. The boots have heavy, but not excessive tread. And the gloves look like there's a little extra padding or something across the knuckles, like she's planned for occasional punching.

It's all tied together by a tight white bodysuit of some kind under everything. It starts all the way under her helmet, and goes all the way down under her boots. No skin anywhere, which is smart for anyone without a Brute rating. Hell, most Brutes should do it anyway. Easier to hide your identity if you keep your skin tone concealed.

All in all it's very regal and heroic, with just a little bug theme from the buckle. Oh, that's probably what's up with the spots on the cloak… It's also a great theme for a Master's costume. If I were to nitpick, I'd say it's a bit New Wave, with all the white, but…

"It's fantastic."

I think she's smiling behind the mask. "Meet Lady Bug."


	11. Special 2: Attrocities Awareness Day

Holiday Special #2: Atrocities Awareness Day

After several years of special holiday quests, James had his favorites: Christmas, the Fourth of July, and of course Halloween. To say the least, it was always interesting to see what costumes Gaia wanted him and his friends to wear based on the rewards they earned by handing out candy or carving pumpkins or something similar. He also had his least favorites, holidays he was sure Gaia only chose to celebrate out of a sense of schadenfreude. And there were a few he felt it was his sacred duty as Gaia's chosen to celebrate in whatever manner she chose. Earth Days, for instance, usually involved planting trees or picking up trash.

But this day, this one day every year, he tried his hardest, and always failed. It was a little depressing, but it was a worthy goal to strive for, even if he might never succeed.

 **[New Quest Alert: End Columbus Day]**

 **[End the celebration of the life of a truly horrible person credited for discoveries and accomplishments not his own.]**

 **[Reward: 100,000,000,000 XP and greatly increased reputation with Gaia.]**

 **[Failure: Nausea watching the travesty celebrated.]**

He nodded grimly to himself. There were pamphlets to hand out, speeches to make. People needed to know what kind of a monster they were borderline worshiping on this day. And maybe someyear it would finally end.

* * *

Author's Note: Not really funny or anything, but when I sat down to write something funny about how Gaia prefers Leif Erikson to Columbus, I wasn't expecting to find out just how much of a scumbag Columbus was. Dude supported pedophillic sex slavery and regularly maimed natives then left them to die for failing to get him gold. He also claimed his actions were "for the glory of the Holy Trinity" and felt so unashamed of his actions that he wrote about them in his official Captain's Log for his journeys. I already knew his legacy was blown out of proportion: almost nobody thought the world was flat, several earlier explorers had already found the Americas centuries ago, and the dumbass thought the world was smaller than it was (and educated men had calculated the size of the Earth fairly accurately over a thousand years before Columbus was born) when he set out. This led him thinking he was in India when they landed (even then, China would have made more sense), to say nothing of nearly causing his entire crew to starve to death because they didn't have enough provisions for the trip. I could go on all day. I just ask that people take the time to research it for themselves before they continue accepting this as a legitimate holiday. Pardon my soapbox.

Repost Note: This was originally posted October 12, "Columbus Day". Expect an update to the main story tomorrow.


	12. Cutscene 2a - Taylor

Interlude 2.y (Taylor) by Harper Potts

Some months prior…

Seventh period art, class and the school day ended in fifteen minutes. My first day back after my extended absence had been relatively quiet. Just whispers and comments about being crazy and locked up. Those just seemed to be normal school rumors. Emma, Sophia, and Madison, my terrible trio of tormentors, had remained quiet. However, that fit their pattern. After every escalation in their attacks, they backed off for a while. I was cautiously optimistic that there wasn't an ambush planned on my way out. Fortunately, I was prepared. I already had my books from my locker. I'd just duck out a side door and I was done for the day.

Despite missing a few weeks I was already caught up in art, so I had a little bit of free time. I turned to my notebook to resume working on a good cape name. I had brainstormed quite a few, but it was surprisingly difficult to come up with a bug name that didn't suck or make me sound like a villain: Creep, Creeper, Creepie-Crawlie, Swarm – all villainous; Ladybug – too cute; Firefly, Lightningbug – implied powers that I didn't have; Wasp, Spidergirl, Yellowjacket, Mantis – all Earth aleph fictional superheroes, not bad, but species specific; Queen Bee – not really, it reminded me of Emma; Queenie – sounds like a puppy; Bug Girl – juvenile; Buzz – the sound insects make, sounded male; Skitter – how insects move, vaguely villainous but possible; Insecta – no, just no; Phalanx, Armada – referring to commanding an army of bugs, maybe, but I bet they're taken. I needed something that sounded truly heroic. People don't like bugs in general, and swarms of bugs looked scary. I needed something to offset that.

I frowned at my extensive list of rejects. None of these really worked… my eyes landed on ladybug. From a fluke of my writing there was a bit of a gap between the y and the b. Hmm, what about two words, Lady Bug. That just might work. Lady Bug, I tried it on for size. Lady had good connotations, not just a woman or a girl, the female equivalent to a knight. It just sounded heroic. It wasn't by chance that a lot of superheroines were named lady something. Lady Photon was a Brockton Bay example. It also sounded mature which was a bonus. Taken together they became ladybug, which also worked. Ladybugs were cute and non-threatening. Even little girls who would run screaming from something as harmless as a grasshopper liked ladybugs. It took the scary out of my powers. Separate it out as Lady Bug, I could play to a regal theme, queen of the swarm. I would be using swarms of bugs to attack, and that was scary no way around it, but I'd be a female knight passing judgment on evildoers. I could use ladybugs and butterflies for public appearances such as talking to the press and the stay-off-drugs talks at schools. At night I could switch to moths and fireflies. Only bring out the bad bugs for combat. Yes, it could work. Lady Bug wasn't a villain. She wasn't cute. She was a kick-ass hero.

Costume! I needed to scrap all my ideas and start afresh. No way in hell I was going with a big round armored suit that was red with black dots. I needed something regal. Would a crown be too pretentious? Or would it have bad connotations reminding people that I was a master? Hmm, I could try some sketches both ways. I could play up on the lady/knight with my armor. Perhaps some kind of plate that crossed insect armor and knight armor? I've seen that before in fantasy sketches, very faerie, very cool. It could be done, but it would have to be silk based and just look metal. I wasn't a brute. Real plate mail would wear me down, but I'd already been playing with the idea of using chitin to reinforce my silk.

The rough sketch I'd made didn't look anything like what I wanted. I was half-decent at art, but I wasn't skilled enough to pull off quick sketches. It took me a lot of redrawing to get something half-way decent. So, was I really up to building my own costume? My spiders didn't make that much silk. It might take me weeks or even months. If I wanted to be Lady Bug, then I had to look regal. I was pretty sure I could pull off a dark black silk suit with bug eyes, armor plates and maybe some mandibles, but maybe I should involve a professional. Fortunately there was professional fashion designer in Brockton Bay, Parian.

That rough idea quickly blossomed into a plan. I could trade spider silk cloth and thread for her expert help in costume design. It turned out to be surprisingly easy to track down Parian. She was openly registered as a rogue. Brockton Bay University flaunted that she was enrolled in their fashion design program. While they kept her civilian id secret, they posted pictures of her studio and gave out contact information. Even though she was still a student, she already did costume work. There was no catalog of prices. Apparently each Parian design was a one-of-a-kind original. She also had a few testimonials from capes and other celebrities. Based on her own costume, a well-done Victorian era doll look, she did good work.

Getting together enough silk to offer in trade turned out to be much harder. I could locate spiders easily enough, but I had to individually learn to identify each species and there were only a few species that I was interested in as silk producers: black widows and golden orb spiders. Darwin's bark spiders would be better than either of them. However, they were also native to Madagascar so unless I turned villain and broke into a zoo they would have to wait.

My original plan was to go with black widow silk. Dragline black widow silk is unusually elastic, even better than kevlar. That made it perfect for absorbing impact damage: knives, fists, blunt objects and hopefully bullets. Golden orb spiderweb didn't have that same elasticity, but had an even higher tensile strength. That made it better for nets, snares and cocoons. I wasn't initially going to bother with golden orb spiders, but they earned their name because of the color of their webs, not the color of the spiders themselves. Now that my costume plans for Lady Bug called for being a knight in shiny armor, gold tinted silk armor would work with my theme better.

It wasn't easy finding golden orb spiders. They were more commonly found south of Brockton Bay, but diligent searching during my morning runs had turned up a few. They proved to be easier to work with than black widows. Black widows are very territorial. While I could easily override that with my powers, if I left them too close together and went out of range my widows would eat each other. Golden orb spiders were more willing to coexist with each other. After weeks of working collecting, breeding, and managing my spiders I was finally able to get my silk production up to where I could actually make a deal with Parian and be able to follow-through instead of offering her samples and promises.

I had already set up an account for my new identity on PHO. Lady_Bug had been available to my great surprise and I'd pounced on it. Under my Lady_Bug alias I dropped an email to Parian about being a new cape whose powers included the ability to make spider silk cloth. I then gave her some details about the properties and some links to verify. I asked for her help in designing a costume and offered to pay in spider silk. She was understandably cautious, but a few emails back and forth and we had a meet set up.

Parian chose the location and time: BBU on a Saturday night. The academic buildings lock up on the weekends, but she apparently had a key and promised to meet me in one of the fashion design labs. That worked for me. While I hadn't been a frequent visitor to BBU, I'd been there more than once with my mother. I showed up hours early and used that time to do some research on potentially useful insect species in the undergraduate library which was open twenty-four seven and within range of the art building. I was reading up on bullet ants when my bugs alerted me to a women unlocking and entering the art building and moving to our appointed meeting room. I returned the books that I couldn't check out and went to meet her.

My costume was really lacking. Lady Bug was a lady, so I'd borrowed some of my mom's old professional clothes that dad had never thrown out. Mom had favored pastels but I found a neutral tan suit with matching skirt that suited my needs better. I even wore her heels. They were a little large on me, but I was able to pin them in place. Nothing about my outfit screamed cape until I added the hat that I'd purchased from a thrift store and customized it by attaching a golden silk veil to hang down and hide my face. I wasn't entirely happy with the look, but the whole point of this meeting was to design my costume so it really wasn't worth putting too much effort into my temporary look. I wasn't going to impress a fashion designer with my dress sense anyway. I had my own plan for making a memorable meeting.

Ladybugs had proved to be much easier than spiders to maintain. I literally had pounds of ladybugs in my basement now. Every day I'd skim off the older ones that had already mated and laid eggs and feed the old ones to my spiders. I'd dropped off a coffee can full of ladybugs to infiltrate the art building earlier and now I sent a portion of them in to distract Parian. I had them spell out my name, Lady Bug in swirling letters while others made simulated flowers and firework explosions. While they kept Parian's attention I quietly entered. "Hello Parian. I'm Lady Bug as you may have guessed. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me."

Parian spun around and laughed. "Really, I never would have guessed. It's a pleasure to meet you. Such an interesting power. Now, let's talk." She gave a wave to the corner of the room where a gigantic gorilla plushy, easily twice the size of a real gorilla, moved from alert to a sitting position.

How had I missed an 800-pound gorilla? I suppose it was because I'd had my bugs looking for people. In a room full of cloth sample a plush animal, even a huge one, did not stand out to bug senses. That was something I'd have to work on. I found it a little ominous that Parian had wanted to have such a creation close-by, but that was a little hypocritical of me considering that I had my own swarm ready to defend me. I had my ladybugs settle down and took a seat that Parian had obviously set aside for me. "So what did you think of the sketches that I sent you?"

"They were quite good at getting your core concept across. I have some sketches to show you, but before I go into those, do you have the samples?"

"Of course." To be flashy I had a lady bug squadrons airlift a couple of square yards of each silk cloth as well as both threads over to her. At least I tried to do so.

Parian must have exercised her power because the cloth and threads were suddenly yanked, pulled and stretched. "Ah, I see what you mean about tensile strength and flexibility. I've got the equipment to test it later, but just pulling on it with my power I can feel how tough the fabric is for something so thin. Yes, we can certainly work some kind of deal over this. Also while that black widow silk is tougher, this golden silk is simply gorgeous."

We'd already roughed out a deal by email. She'd help me design a costume and I'd provide her with enough raw silk to make another of her own. Parian was trying to talk me into not doing the hero thing at all and just joining her as a rogue to make specialty costumes. No dollar amounts had been mentioned, and I was certainly considering it, but there was nothing to say that I couldn't do business with Parian and still be a hero.

"Anyway, for now here's the sketches. I know you stressed maneuverability, but I want you to consider a dress. If you want to sell the lady part of Lady Bug, it's the best way to go." She pulled out a tablet and showed me a rough sketch of a dress fit for a queen including a vivid red cloak over it. "You're a master. You shouldn't be doing closer quarters combat anyway."

No, I shouldn't. However, from what I had read the PRT protocol for dealing with masters was get in their face and smack them around. I couldn't count on my enemies not doing the same. "No, I can't fight in that."

"Alright." She swiped the tablet. "Next image. This is the armor without the dress."

The sketch which was mostly what I wanted, armor half-way between a medieval knight and a beetle. "Hmm, I like it, but my breastplate has breasts." Breasts that I certainly couldn't fill. "My hips aren't that wide, and you have me in heels! I'm not wearing heels into combat."

Parian sighed. "Fine, no heels, however you might want to consider a hidden heel of an inch or so in your boots, it will help hide your secret identity. The same goes for the breastplate and hips. If you don't have it, we can pad it. You want full body armor. If you want to sell that as lady anything, you need it to be exaggeratedly female. Besides I'm fairly certain a large chunk of superheroines pad their chests too. You'll be in good company."

While I was flat enough to sometimes be mistaken for a boy, I didn't pad my bras. I knew a lot of girls did, but it just felt wrong. Not to mention that Emma would certainly call me out on it the whole school if I stuffed my bra. However, this wasn't about covering up my inadequacies. It was about projecting an image, and maybe it would help me be a little harder to identify. "I see your point. However, back to practicality, how do I hide my identity while showing my whole face like that? What happened to the visor on the helmet?"

"That's not your face. That's a mask. People react better to faces. Let me give you an example. Do you remember when Shadow Stalker was independent and wore the hockey mask?"

"Yes, I remember." As part of my getting ready I'd been researching all the capes in Brockton Bay.

"One of the changes that came with joining the Wards is she now has a mask showing a woman's face. Sure, it's a tough girl face, but it's still a face. That's more relatable. I highly recommend the same for you. It also works as a red herring, people will assume it's based on your face."

"Alright. You've sold me on that."

"Now, one more piece. The cape. It's your ladybug influence. You were very clear on not wanting a fat and round costume. This has the ladybug spot pattern and split seam. I was going to suggest tear away fastenings so it can't be used against you in combat, but after seeing that aerial lift you did, could you do this with your bugs?" Under Parian's power the golden silk square lifted up and attached to her back like a cape.

"Sure I could do that…" Suddenly I was filled with possibilities. It wouldn't be difficult at all. Even better my cape would be immediately usable as a net which would be perfect for non-lethal takedowns. I'd been worried about how to do that. I could always have my spiders spin threads on the spot, but carrying a net with me into combat sounded like an even better deal. For that matter… "I said no dress, but could you design me a fly-away skirt? Something that looks like a skirt, but is actually several panels of cloth only attached to my waist by my bugs holding them in place?"

"I could do that. The design is easy. The hard part will be teaching you how to position all the pieces in the right places."

She couldn't see me behind my golden veil, but I was smiling from ear to ear. "Parian, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

Author's Note: I almost forgot to post this part. And since I **did** promise main story, I'll update again tomorrow. We're almost caught up now, so expect things to slow down to around once a week soon.


	13. Tutorial 2-4

Tutorial 2.4

After discussing powers and costumes over lunch Taylor and I got down to power testing and training. It took a few hours, but we now both had **[Stealth]** , **[Detect]** , **[Knife Mastery]** , and **[Knife Throwing]**. Taylor got **[Brawling]** , but I'm not comfortable hitting her for a skill. Too high of a chance to do serious damage on accident. She probably thought it was (just) a gender thing; I got a relationship loss alert. But more importantly we proved that my power was at least helping us gain skills and stats faster and wasn't just a Thinker power quantifying things. That's going to be so useful, it could paint a real target on my back...

Now we're preparing to test **ID Create**. Taylor thinks it's best that we check and make sure it's not some weird Master effect that leaves us standing around drooling while we fight zombies in our minds. My skill screen wasn't particularly helpful on the subject, but it did let me know that I can currently open a barrier that's either empty, or inhabited by zombies. And that undead summoned during daylight suffer a 25% penalty to level and stats. Taylor's about a hundred twenty yards away, peering around a shipping container to keep an eye on me while I try this solo.

"Ready?" I yell to her.

A pink window appears in front of me, labelled **[Taylor Herbert]** , with an icon of a speaker on it. Taylor's voice comes from it, speaking at a normal volume. "James, you don't have to yell. Voice chat, remember? And I'm ready."

...I didn't think I would forget **that** fast.

" **[ID Create: Zombie]** " Left hand in the air, right hand clutching my bright pink baseball bat, I face the horde. And I do mean horde. After the tutorial trip into the Illusion Barrier, I really wasn't expecting more than four or five zombies. There's a small crowd of **[Zombie, Level 6]** in front of me, and I expect there have to be more around, behind containers and such. With this many zombies in plain sight, I'm not taking any risks. I charge the nearest one.

"Good news, James. You disappeared." I trip over my feet as I get a sudden reminder we've still got voice chat active. I have **got** to train my AGI up. "It looks like you really do make a pocket dimension instead of an illusion."

I hop to my feet as fast as I can. "That's good to know. **[Power Strike]** " The strike knocks a baseball cap off the nearest zombie and leaves a serious dent in the side of his head, but only takes off about a fifth of his health. It almost knocks him over as well. "Looks like there's about ten zombies right here." My MP is still over six hundred, so I can spare a little to finish him before the others get too close.

"Ten zombies? Get out of there!" Taylor's worry feels a touch insulting. I'm 50% higher level than I was when I took out two at once.

I try to reassure her. "I just leveled, so I've got a bit more HP and MP to work with. And I want to see if I can find more teeth." Maybe I'll get lucky and find another blueprint.

It takes five more **[Power Strikes]** , and one normal hit, for him to die. **[97 XP]** The whole time I can hear Taylor over the voice chat muttering about "stubborn boy" and "4 WIS".

That's not fair. "It's seven now!" Four of the other corpses are a bit closer than I like now and two new zombies have shuffled into view from behind me. On the plus side, I've got an alert that **[Power Strike has leveled up!]** I turn and sprint at the nearer of the two new enemies, hoping to get some space before the loose circle around me closes.

"And my fifty-nine is telling me to tell you to get out of there!"

"I've got this!" This time my starting **[Power Strike]** catches a businesswoman zombie right in the floating ribs. A quick spin and I'm not only outside the ring of undead, I'm behind her. One of the 'busy-signal' alert indicators starts flashing. If I've learned anything from tactical RPGs…

" **[Power Strike]** " and a back-attack (to the head) should give me good odds on a…

 **[Critical Hit!]**

With only a sliver of HP to go, I take my chance to get the **[Brawling]** skill, and punch her in the kidney with a rapidly-freed left fist. The good news is I've got another indicator blinking now, so I probably did get it. On the down side, it actually takes two punches to finish her. ( **[97 XP]** ) And by that time, I'm surrounded by a mass of stinking, scratching corpses.

"Fuck." **[Danger!]**

"What?!" Taylor doesn't sound happy.

This is not the time to be talking, though. "Hold on!" A little impatience leaks into my tone. I'm probably burning MP a little faster than I should, but I can't stop while surrounded. **[Power Strikes]** flow from my mighty pink bat, even as blow after blow catches me from angles I've got no chance to defend against. And they hit **hard**. Things kinda blur together in a brawl like this...

I run out of MP with only two enemies left. Neither of them is in perfect shape, but I'm down to 32/220 HP, and Pinkie is looking a little rough. Three or four more hits and Taylor will find out what happens if someone dies in an Illusion Barrier. ...or maybe I'll just never reappear… Fuck that. I just have to play it safe and focus on taking them out one at a time. I take a moment to reassure Taylor. "Told you. Just two left."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Careful mode on." I hate this kind of moment in action RPGs, kiting enemies for five or six minutes because you can't afford to take a hit. And the whole time I've got half-a-dozen or so alerts waiting for me, blinking away. Hell, it takes long enough that I regenerate enough MP to finish off the last zombie, a decaying cowboy, with one last **[Power Strike]** to the face.

Of course, this is when I realize all the noise has drawn three or four more **groups** of zombies. They aren't exactly on me yet, but they're close enough I can't make a break for it. No. Nope. Not a chance. I drop to the ground and sweep up what loot is in easy reach. I have to leave a few soul shards and a tooth, and I think I saw a rib over where I got the first zombie, but I'm out of time. **" [ID Escape]!**" The world shatters, and I find myself staring up at an unimpressed Taylor.

...I half-expected another WIS boost for knowing when to cut my loses...

A wave of alerts blocks view.

 **[Due to an act of noteworthy dexterity, AGI has increased by 1]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[A skill to fight without weapons, [Brawling], has been created.]**

 **[Brawling (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 2.3%]**

 **[Allows the user to freely fight unarmed. Passively increases unarmed attack speed and power by 3%. When replaced by a martial arts skill 25% of earned experience will carry over.]**

 **[Rabbit punch! Eye gouge! Groin stomp! There's no such thing as a fair fight, just whoever is left standing.]**

 **[Sense Danger's level goes up by one!] [Blunt Weapon Mastery's level goes up by two!] [Power Strike's level goes up by one!] [Due to diligent effort, your STR has increased by 2!] [Due to diligent effort, your VIT has increased by 1!] [You've gained 1 level.]**

I dismiss them as quickly as I read them, which is pretty damn fast, if I do say so myself. "Okay, so you may have been right about not taking them on solo," I admit magnanimously.

" **MAY** have been right?" Taylor has her hands on her hips, a stance I'm all too familiar with from my sister - angry teenaged girl. " **MAY** have been right? You could have just left and come back with me in the party. You **just** made me the boss. That makes me responsible if you get yourself killed! Do you know what it was like for me just standing here listening to that? Do you-"

Taylor brakes off her rant midstream to focus on something I can't see. "Huh. I just got an **[Intimidate]** skill."

The only surprising thing about Taylor receiving the **[Intimidate]** skill is "You didn't already have that?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Two shout-outs - Sin Piedad is the 100th subscriber to Co-Op Mode! And Marie, "anonymous" reviewer: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and hope your recovery goes well.


	14. Tutorial 2-5

Tutorial 2.5

I don't think Taylor appreciated my smartass comment about her being intimidating. But she just takes a moment before replying, "James, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come down on you so hard. I was just stuck out here, listening to that. You could have been seriously injured or even killed in there, and I would have had no way to reach you. Just never leave me out again, okay?"

Fuck. She's right. "Yeah, my bad. No more stupid risky solo battles." It'd be too much to assume I've got spare lives hidden in my power somewhere.

"So... Yeah." She looked down, then back up and smiled awkwardly. "Let's go kick some zombie butt! Open up another barrier for both of us!"

Despite that little moment Taylor still seems somewhat upset. Thankfully, she's quite adept at taking out her anger on zombies after I open a new **[Illusion Barrier]**. I'm not sure if she's intentionally grinding **[Rising Strike]** , or if she's multitasking and much more upset than I thought, but a suspicious number of male zombies take bat blows a bit lower than optimal for a lifting blow. On top of that wince-worthy bit of ruthlessness, every single corpse has a modest damage over time, or DoT, effect on them as she orders their own maggots to eat them from the inside out. So glad she's not targeting me. And we're sharing XP evenly, even if she's getting most of the killing blows. It only takes half an hour or so for me to level up twice. Not to mention the skill and stat alert indicators stacking up in the corner of my vision. The only upside to low stats is how easy it is to level them at first. Even with Taylor entangling some of them in the nets that used to be her skirts, the downside is literally crouching behind Taylor to catch my breath while she launches away all approaching undead for a few minutes. It helps that when I level I don't just get a sudden boost to HP and MP, but also get a sudden wave of energy, wiping away my fatigue.

As soon as there is a lull in combat all the updates swarm my face. A few skill upgrades, a few stats too. And I finally got **[Dodge]**. Thankfully, **[Gamer's Body]** seems to be staving off muscle fatigue, so I'm back up fairly quickly. Taylor's finally slowing down. Crazy VIT or not, swinging a bat for this long has to be tiring work for her too. Another **[** **Finishing Blow]** , almost slow enough for the prone zombie in scuba gear to roll away from, finishes the last of the zombies right by us.

I guess now's as good a time as any, and I need a break to heal. "[ **ID Esca-]** Crap. Loot." Taylor is clearly distracted by her own alert windows. I hope she got something good. If she hadn't thinned the herd a lot, and seriously weakened all the zombies still in range I wouldn't even try this. But I guess it's my turn to hold them off if I don't want to abandon our earnings. And I think I see another rib dropped over there. I want my pauldron, okay? It's bad enough I left one earlier…

It brings my health down more than I like, and dries up my stores of MP, but I hold off until Taylor rejoins the fray. And suddenly she's two shotting them half the time. Even with the calls of " **[** **Power Strike]** ", guess she just unlocked that, she's doing too much damage. Did she level and spend points on STR or something? A lot more zombies are making it to me now, almost like she's letting them get past. At least it only takes one hit to… oh… I wonder why she's feeding me kills?

Another half hour, another level, and another break later I find out how she did it. And why she's been letting me finish off most of our foes.

 **[Apprentice Undead Hunter]**

 **[Obtained by killing any 50 undead.]**

 **[You have a special talent and interest in exterminating the undead!]**

 **[Become an Undead Hunter and eradicate the undead!]**

 **[30% increase in attack damage against the undead.]**

 **[30% increase in defense versus the undead.]**

 **[All stats plus 5 while facing the undead.]**

Yeah, that'd do it. I equip it immediately and jump back to it. ...holy shit, 30% is **huge!** I'm getting in the occasion three-hit kill now. ...and I seem to be getting my dumb ass surrounded less often. How the fuck did I survive this long with my WIS so low?! And it'll drop back as soon as I'm not facing undead. I still don't want to spend points on a stat when it **should** be easy to grind at this time, but I'm not leaving my WIS so low for such a petty reason.

 **[A sagacious decision causes your WIS to go up by 2.]**

...that probably means my power agrees. A lot. It also suddenly makes sense to gather loot between waves of enemies, instead of waiting for the last minute to scramble to grab what few pieces I can get.

You know your life is getting surreal when fighting zombies gets boring. But few things are fun for almost four hours straight. Even breaking my trusty pink bat over the tin pail one zombie had on its head just means I switch to **[Brawling]**. Back to four or more hits per kill, but the visceral satisfaction is enough to make things interesting again for a few minutes.

Taylor casts her skirt-nets at the nearest zombies and turns to me. "Here, take it." She's offering me her bat. "You need it more than me."

"I'm fine. I can…" There's no need to be stubborn, just find a different solution. "Fuck it, you still got that knife?" A half-foot blade beats the heck out of going in unarmed. She quickly hands me the knife just before we get swarmed again.

Leveling for a fourth time leaves me physically restored, but mentally I need a break. I'm pretty much done with this for the day. Night soon enough. And I didn't pack us supper.

Fortunately, as the sun grazes the top of the city to our west, Taylor comes to a sudden stop. "That's level 14 for me. Let's call it a day."

My hand is in the air before she even finishes her sentence. " **[ID Escape]** " I'm not sure if it's the sunset, or just how long we were in there for, but the sky shattering yet again is unspeakably gorgeous. Shards of impossibly clear crystal fall through the pink and orange evening air, refracting beautifully.

" **[Status Screen]** Let's see… **[+1 STR]** , **[+1 AGI]** , **[+3 Dodge]** , **[+4 Blunt Weapon Mastery]** , **[+3 Rising Strike]** , **[** **+2 Combat Mapping]** , **[+2 Entangle]** , and **[+2 Finishing Blow]**." Taylor isn't even looking at the sky. She's missing something amazing. "I've got **[Power Strike]** now, it's already level 2, and **[Light Armor Mastery]** , which is at 3. And **[** **Apprentice Undead Hunter]** , but I guess you got that too?"

"Yeah, and let me say, an extra 5 points of WIS really shows off how much I need to get more. Did I really stab myself with a plastic fork in the middle of Fugly Bob's?"

Taylor snickers. "Yes. Yes, you did." She hastily refocuses the conversation. "Not bad for an afternoon's work. What else did you get?"

"Let's see… **[Status Screen] [+3 STR]** , **[+1 AGI]** , **[+1 VIT]** , **[+2 WIS]** , **[+3 Power Strike]** , **[+2 Dodge]** , **[** **+2 Physical Resistance]** , **[+1 Brawling]** , **[+2 Knife Mastery]** , **[+3 Blunt Weapon Mastery]** , **[** **+1 Sense Danger]** and that title. And I'm level 8 now. Holy crap, my HP and MP nearly doubled…"

Okay, now I'm the one distracted from the sunset. With my very lifeforce strictly quantified, seeing that number nearly double has me almost numb with glee. Not gonna die from a papercut no more. And it looks like my regeneration is a little faster now. Looks like it takes about 4 and a half seconds per HP recovered. So it should take about… 40 minutes to fully recover from almost dead.

"Have you noticed how much faster our skills go up in combat?" Taylor asks, placing her bat reverently into her bag. "I know we were in there for hours, but we didn't improve half as fast just training."

Maybe it's my improved WIS score, but she's right. "Some games do that. More experience when you actually do something. Like hitting an enemy versus hitting a target." Too bad some of our skills aren't well-suited to practicing in combat. **[Stealth]** should be awesome at higher levels, but the zombie horde isn't going to let up enough for us to try sneaking up on them.

Packing up is quick and easy with an inventory, and I don't even have to struggle with backpack straps. Taylor has it worse, but it only takes her a moment to duck out of sight and change back to her civvies. We exit the Ship's Graveyard and head inland in a comfortable silence, both flipping through our various screens, exploring the changes one day had wrought. Looks like I've got 23 **[Soul Shards]** , 11 **[Teeth of the Dead]** , 3 **[Ribs of the Dead]** , and one **[** **Skin of the Dead]** total. I should be able to make an **[** **Undead Pauldron]** now.

I'm not putting any thought into making sure Taylor gets home… well, 'safe' is an over-statement. She can certainly take care of herself, but she still doesn't need to be hassled.

Oh, hey, this is the way to my house! "I live this way too," I comment, feeling the need to share.

Taylor nods, "Well, we did go to the same elementary. We can't live that far apart."

"I'll pack supper as well tomorrow. Better to have it just in case." While I'm thinking ahead, I wonder if I can get more WIS by… "It's dark out. I should be wearing white for safety. My costume shouldn't show any skin, as extra identity protection. We should try to learn each other's skills. I should get a cellphone. We should try and get a first aid skill. I should find a replacement weapon since my bat broke, and I can't borrow your knife all the time. I should get a sturdier weapon, so it doesn't break again." No good. "Hmph."

"What's wrong?" Taylor has apparently been listening the whole time, staring at me bemusedly.

"I was trying to grind WIS by having good ideas." And **that** had seemed like such a good idea. "None of them counted."

"Well, you did have a point about the costume. I can give you a spare ski mask I had my spiders weave," she offers, "but if you're trying to hide skin, don't forget around your eyes. Goggles or wrap-around sunglasses can hold you over until you find something better. Have you put any thought into your name yet?"

I haven't really, but I'm quick on my feet. "Nothing solid yet, but since we're working together it should match or compliment your theme. Something with insects and nobility or knighthood. But not 'Sir Bugsalot'."

"Please don't get too attached to any name before you run it past me, okay? It took me a few months to pick one I didn't hate the next day." She dips her head a little. "I can't believe I almost called myself Buzz. And planned on wearing bright yellow with black stripes. Go ahead and make something for now, get an idea for what works for you. Later, I can introduce you to Parian. She did most of the design work on my costume."

"Parian? Really?" I'm not big on fashion, what the rogue cape does is more like art in a fabric medium. And by all rumors, she does it all without compromising wearability. "No wonder. And thanks. Really."

Taylor tilts her head up and adopts a faux-snotty tone. "I am the Lady Bug. I can't have my partner running around in sweats and hockey mask, now can I?"

I chuckle out an agreement. "Fair enough."

"On the subject of preparations, we need a cover story. I'm not ready to tell Dad I've got powers, let alone that I'm fighting zombies with them."

"Oh, bugger." I don't want to tell anyone in my family for as long as possible. Mom's… not particularly accepting of Parahumans. Half the time she talks about capes like they're reckless, exhibitionistic adrenaline junkies. The other half it's more 'burn the witch'. While I'm sure Pa'd have some great advice, he's a pushover who'd let Mom know in a matter of days. Rene doesn't need the extra stress while she's pursuing a dual major in foreign languages and parahuman psychology. I think she's interested in the rumored International Protectorate Initiative. And less said about what Andy would do with the knowledge I have powers, the better. Maybe after I've made contact with the Wards.

Taylor's comment about zombies gives me an idea though… "Why don't you tell your dad we're playing Dungeons and Dragons?" It wouldn't work for me, D&D is just another thing Mom can't stand. "If you ever slip up and mention undead or controlling bugs or anything you can just say it's from the game."

 **[A good idea causes your WIS to go up by 1.]**

Taylor doesn't look convinced yet. "My power approves. I got my tenth point in wisdom for that one."

"Well, it's better than not having a plan." There's a minute of less comfortable silence before Taylor gestures at a well-worn house a few drives down. "So that's my house over there. My father is already inside. I appreciate you walking me home, but I'd rather not introduce you to my father right now. Strange boy, teenaged daughter..."

"Hey! It's not like that. I mean, I'm certainly strange, but…" Aaand now I probably sound like an asshole. "Not that you're not-"

"Stop now. Before you put your foot in your mouth. I know you're not, but I haven't had friends in so long. New strange boy, he'll jump to conclusions. Let me bring you up in conversation first, make my father aware you exist first."

Thank you for stopping me. "Right. That's a good idea."

There's a brief pause. "So… tomorrow, same time, same place?" Taylor offers.

A familiar quest window pops up, but I carefully ignore it. If her dad is looking, he doesn't need to see some unfamiliar man jabbing a finger towards his little girl. There's only one proper response, though. "It's a quest."

"Right." She doesn't seem to find it funny. "See-ya."

I jog off, mostly because leaving slowly feels like sticking around, and sticking around is just awkward. I'm actually only a few streets from my place. It's surprising to find out we've lived so close for years, but barely know each other. I don't have time to think about it though, as I'm already home.

With Rene home for the weekend, the family seems to be all in the living room watching a movie. Good, that should distract them. I don't need to be dodging everyone as I gather materials for my costume. I pull up the quest alert I've had shelved all day.

 **[New Quest Alert: My First Costume]**

 **[Pick your parahuman code name and construct a costume to match by tomorrow morning.]**

 **[Goal time: 10 AM Sunday]**

 **[Reward: 500 XP and a matching piece of equipment]**

 **[Failure: Increased chance of being outed as a parahuman]**

I figure I'll start by putting together the best costume I can with what I've got on hand, and think of names while I'm at it. I'll want my outfit to be as dark as possible, so I start by digging black clothes out of my dresser and closet. Okay, black jeans are good. Dark grey velcro sneakers are my best option for shoes. For now at least. Knit winter gloves will have to do. ...I don't have any long-sleeved black shirts, and I have no intention of leaving even my arms exposed in costume. What to do? I pull a too-large navy turtle out and size it up. My arms have always been a bit long, so this otherwise oversized shirt has the perfect size sleeves. I can just rip the seams and switch the sleeves. It won't be pretty, but it's just a starter costume. I can clean it up later.

"Dumbass, what are you doing?"


	15. OMAKE: Different Paths

Author's Foreward: When originally posting this story on SpaceBattles, a number of the readers started suggesting names for James to use as a cape. I set up a poll to find the most popular three suggestions, and wrote an omake for each of them. With this update, you're all up to date on this story. The next chapter will take a few days to finish, after that it'll be about one post a week.

* * *

A Different Path: Raid Knight (Armsmaster POV)

In another universe, the villains of Brockton Bay would have gathered at Somer's Rock in response to the threat posed by Bakuda's bombing spree. But this is a different universe, with a different summit. Let's look in:

"Is everyone here?" I as, narrowing my eyes as I look out at the motley crew gathered in the supposedly neutral PRT's conference room. All the heroic and rogue Capes in the city are represented.

The statuesque **Sarah Pelham** responds, "New Wave is present." The gaggle of white-clad heroes around her - purple, yellow, orange, green-yellow, magenta, blue, white, and red in the back - yep, all there. My HUD is marking their names over their heads, but it's not important enough to waste the time reading them. Actually, I'm not sure why I changed the programming on that feature from labeling only the person I'm focusing on to labeling everyone in sight. It's not efficient to have this much clutter in my vision. What kind of person could deal with this on a day to day basis?

"The Wards are here," **Aegis** speaks up next. Three helmets, one full-face mask, and a visor. There's supposed to be another full-face mask. A woman's face?

"Where's..." I trigger a search for the name of the missing Ward. "Shadow Stalker?"

The Wards all turn to each other, then back to me. Green-visor, **Vista** pipes up, "She went after Raid Knight. She was crowing over comms about putting a bolt into his shoulder. Then she started screaming."

That sounds a lot like the last anyone heard of Victor. I'm all for getting Neo-Nazi supervillains off the streets, but what Raid Knight had his thrall do to him... In Brockton Bay, entomophobia is no longer considered a mental illness. However, several people have been committed for **not** displaying an appropriate level of sheer, pant-shitting terror in the face of a swarm of coccinellidae. They may have been tourists, but that's no excuse.

"Has the body shown up yet?"

"She's alive, and even unharmed. Physically," **Gallant** reports. "But every time she even sees a crossbow, bolt, hockey mask, or the color purple... It doesn't take my powers to see that she'll never fight crime again. And she keeps muttering about Sar-Ban-Nog and prey that isn't."

 **Clockblocker** 's head dips. He must be sad to lose a teammate. I'll have to speak to him later. I've dealt very well with similar losses. He could benefit from my wisdom.

"Protectorate East North-East is all here," **Miss Militia** reports. Flag bandanna, Greek helmet, lion helmet, red mask, and circuit-line mask with a visor lurking over her shoulder. We're all here. And **Assault** is as unprofessional as ever.

The creepy life-sized doll in the corner moves. A voice comes from behind the porcelain lips. "And I'm here. Parian, for anyone who hasn't heard of the only rogue in Brockton Bay who hasn't been Birdcaged for self-defense." **Parian** likes to regularly remind us heroes that she's not a threat like that. I appreciate the thought, but we're not concerned. And we've got her under surveillance anyway.

I take control of the meeting. "We've got new information on Raid Knight. After the recent unprovoked invasion of Medhall, we found some fragments of his armor. They appear to have been splintered off when Hookwolf arrived to defend the company." At my HUD's prompting, I pause for emphasis. "Even villains as indefensible as Hookwolf can't allow harm to come to such an important medical supplies company. And his surprisingly noble sacrifice has given us new information on the depths Raid Knight has sunk to."

An image is projected on the wall. It's a figure well-known to all of us by now. A masculine figure, wearing a skull-like helmet. Most of his gear follows a macabre theme. Bones and teeth and pale, disturbing leather. Many pieces have been replaced or upgraded at one point or another. But his central piece, a vibrantly purple unadorned breastplate, has never changed. It seems like it has some special significance to the villain.

"Analysis of the material his 'zombie' gear is made of has produced disturbing results." Another pause. 3, 2, 1. "It's human. Human bones. Human leather. From dozens, if not hundreds of different victims. He's a serial killer, and has been since before his first appearance. We suspect that if we can figure out how he killed them, we can reverse engineer his power, and maybe even figure out how to block it. If we can deny him... whatever his power is, we can deny him his most potent weapon."

The image on the screen changes. A stately female figure in golden armor. "Lady Bug. The insectokinetic Master 9 he's forced into his villainous service. With the recent revelation of just how brazen he is about his kill count, we've finally figured out the meaning of his name. **Raid** Knight. He's been telling us from day one that he's holding the threat of nearly instant death over the head of the most powerful heroically inclined Master we've seen in over a decade."

The picture changes to Raid Knight at his most vicious, clawed hand thrust through Oni Lee's head. "I've called you all here today to announce that Raid Knight is now under a kill order."

* * *

A Different Path: Grave Lord (James PoV)

In retrospect, calling myself Grave Lord and dressing in **[Undead Armor]** was a bit short-sighted. When Taylor tried to speak up for me, she found herself in Master/Stranger quarantine faster than you can say 'civil rights violation'. It's been over a month, well outside any accepted 'reasonable' limit to her time locked up, and they have yet to release her. I assume they aren't going to let her out until she agrees that I'm the monster they decided I am without proof or even good reason to suspect. Well, they got their monster.

I know my limits. I can't take on the whole of the local Protectorate at once and that's what it could take to free Taylor. Especially as I have no intent to permanently remove heroes. So I'm temporarily disabling them.

Panacea is first. With her in play, nothing I'm willing to do will take less than a day to fix if the heroes are rescued. For just how important she is, no one pays enough attention to her. I could easily grab her along the road one night, even without using my powers. Instead, I abuse **[ID Create]** to grab her from a locked bathroom in a local hospital. Robbed of chemical options for rendering her unconscious, and unwilling to harm someone who has done so much for humanity, I simply trust thick armor and my strength to man-handle her across town and into a converted apartment. It's rather luxurious for a prison, but calling it anything less would be a lie. That said, she seems to being doing surprisingly well. I suspect the enforced vacation is good for her.

Only Clockblocker can be treated as gently. For simplicity's sake, he wakes up in the same apartment as Amy when the tranquilizer wears off. It only takes a few days for him to give up on the futility of wearing his mask and find what pleasure he can in his situation. I believe the two of them are developing a bit of a bond. This pleases me. They both deserve some happiness.

I only wish I could treat most of the other heroes so well. New Wave and the Wards don't deserve what I have to do to them.

Flyers are a pain to restrain, but all I need is too keep them from fighting for a few weeks. A few sliced tendons, ankles and arms, and the Pelhams are unable to chase effectively or aim to blast me. Neil's resilience requires a little extra effort to overcome, but even with the extra damage I have to do to him, I'm sure Panacea will be able to fix him when this is over.

The Dallons are both harder and easier to deal with. Harder because Glory Girl is a bitch to pin down. In the end I have to very precisely time a **[Grounding Strike]** to bring her down, and break her neck while her forcefield is down. It's more of a risk than I'd like to take, but I can't have her interfering. Even as a quadriplegic, she's dangerous enough to require regular doses of some very potent tranquilizers. Flashbang... I don't even bother with, outside of taking his antidepressants. Brandish is almost easier. She can't fly, has no blaster powers, and can't move while her only defensive power is active. And by this time, I'm very good with tendons.

Most of the Wards require special handling. Kid Win can be locked up unharmed, but only in the barest of cells. His plumbing is specially designed to be impossible to disassemble. His mattress is fused to the floor. His food is all in pellet form, to keep utensils out of his hands. Gallant gets the Pelham treatment. Aegis I have to beat into a literal bloody pulp. Then I seal him into concrete up to his neck. Over a ton of the stuff. His redundant biology keeps him alive, even with several vital orifices inaccessible. he regularly promises to share the joy of defecating from one's mouth with me as soon as he gets out. Vista... I regret it, but I have to put her in a medically induced coma. Nothing less can contain the little space-warper.

Members of the Protectorate East North-East are the hardest to take down. It takes days of carefully stalking and even longer holding perfectly still on a blazing hot roof to catch Dauntless at home, alone, without any of his enhanced items on hand. Sniper rifles aren't meant for tranquilizer use, but it works. This close to the endgame, with him miles away from his gear, I just tie him up.

Thinking of Miss Militia as barely more than human is a mistake. I can't pin her down long enough to do things neatly, so I have to **[Power Strike]** both her arms. Even after shattering several bones, she almost kills me with a dagger held in her mouth. In the end I have to break her legs and jaw to keep her down. I respect that, and honestly wish it hadn't come to that.

If not for careful planning and **[Physical Resistance]** , Velocity would beat me. Trip wires aren't fast enough to catch him. Even automated. In the end, I have to take it for a minute and blow both of us to hell and back with a very large number of flashbangs. I'm not sure how long I'd be down for if not for **[Gamer's Body]**. He's certainly still down when I get up. I only cut his Achilles tendons. When he wakes up he might be able to chase me using just his arms, but I'm close enough to my goal that I don't need to keep him down for long.

Assault and Battery are far easier than expected. As soon as I reach them, Assault sucker punches Battery, knocking her out.

"It's not fair what they're doing to you kids," he says by way of explanation. "We both agree on that. She thought we agreed that we still have to follow orders. After seeing what you've done to those in your way... I really hope I'm right about you."

"Amy's fine," I assure him as I walk past.

There's only two 'heroes' left. Triumph and Armsmaster. While Triumph is a powerful Blaster, he really doesn't have much else going for him. As long as I can dodge his first few 'roars', I can get close and take him down barehanded. Armsmaster... I'm not looking forward to. Yet, after everything he put Taylor through, just because he got butthurt over trying to steal our credit for taking down Lung... I'm looking forward to this.

Entering the parahuman detention block of the Protectorate ENE headquarters, I find an unexpected sight. Sitting on the floor between two rows of cells, Triumph's helmet. Blood leaking from it. The puddle merging with a much larger pool, spreading from a lose pile of fleshy chunks. A well-dressed man, attractive in a vaguely pretty manner, sits upon it, fidgeting with a switchblade.

Jack Slash greets me like an old friend, "Hello, Grave Lord. We've been waiting for you."

* * *

A Different Path: Atlas (Gallant PoV)

My name is Dean Stansfield and I am often considered the most eligible bachelor in Brockton Bay. Well, among the underage community. I'm rich, well-connected, handsome, and amazingly empathetic. The first three are from my family. The last one? I cheat.

My name is also Gallant. I'm the next in line to be in charge of the Brockton Bay Wards. I have the power to fire blasts of concussive energy that can tilt the target's emotions a bit. And I can see people's emotions. That's how my cape life let's me cheat in my civilian life.

My civilian life also lets me cheat as a Ward. Being (very) rich, I was able to buy a suit of Tinkertech power armor. Without it, I'd be no more bulletproof than any other human. And despite my name I'm really not selfless enough to risk that. I'm just glad Armsmaster is willing to maintain my armor for a few favors here and there. Tinkertech is known for needing some serious attention from a Tinker on a regular basis or it acts like L33t's tech usually does.

In my civilian life I'm in an on-again, off-again relationship with Victoria Dallon, publicly known as Glory Girl. Most people think of her as a basic Alexandria package, but along with the strength, flight, and invulnerability, she also has an aura power. Its effects vary based on her attitude towards those affected by it. If she likes them, they love her. If she hates them, they change their pants. I'm the only person unaffected by them, making me the only honest relationship she'll ever have. And since her aura blocks my emotion sight, she's the only girl who's a challenge to me.

Unlike Vicky, I keep my civilian identity secret. And a lot of girls (and women) would love to date a Ward. It's not always easy refusing them, but Vicky is worthy it. And even without her aura, pissing her off scares the crap out of me.

And on top of all that, my teammates want me. Vista's crush is adorably obvious and easily handled. Mostly by ignoring it. Shadow Stalker has some kind of twisted survival-of-the-fittest mindset, which occasionally makes her try to claim 'liberties' with Aegis or myself. More often Aegis. Poor bastard. And I'm not sure if Browbeat is gay, or just looking for inspiration for his autobiokinetic powers, but I'm not happy with how much time he spends looking at my muscles.

So yeah, I'm sexy and I know it. I try not to let it get to my head, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the attention a little. (Even if Vicky disagrees.) I even watch all the teen beat shows with Vista for that little boost I get from hearing the reporters go on about me being the hottest Ward in New England.

I offer a token protest as Vista changes the channel to one of her (our) favorite shows. Sandra Mars is probably my favorite host. Her program is nation-wide and her ass is out of this world. Each week she does a segment on her top ten sexiest heroes. And every week I'm on the list. On one or two occasions, I've even been number one. The pout on her face when she reminds her viewers I'm underage... I may just have to visit her as soon as I join the Protectorate...

"And for this week's sexiest superhero countdown: At number 10, we have Myrddin. The man may be crazy, but we're crazy to know what's under that robe." A man in a rough tan robe dominates the screen. "At number nine, Manpower. He may be married, but there's more than enough of him to go around." Seven feet of muscle crammed into a white a yellow costume is next. "Coming in at number eight, Armsmaster. Even a few lesbians I know want Halbeard to be their beard." I'm still not sure why the man leaves his chin exposed like that. But I am a little jealous of that beard. "Number seven is Triumph, who deserves some special attention - he's legal now. Anyone else curious if he's a screamer?" Well, that's a bit more explicit than she usually is. I hope I get something better than when it's my turn. I lose track of the show for a moment, thinking of a few things I'd like to hear her say about me...

"Legend is number three this week. If only he was straight..." While his placement changes from week to week, Sandra always has the same thing to say about Mister Rainbows. "Second place goes to one of my all-time favorites: Gallant. He could sweep me off my feet any day. And unless I'm misreading things, I think he'll be moving to the Protectorate fairly soon." That's the stuff. Second place, and a nicely public reminder I'll be legal soon.

I'd just as happily change channels now, but Vista actually cares about more than just my current ranking. Number one usually goes to someone who's had a big week in the news. I can't think of anyone worthy this week, so I'm not sure who she'd rank higher than me. Maybe some nobody hero in some podunk town had a wardrobe malfunction. Sandy loves it when a fit young (legal) hero loses his shirt.

"I know some of you out there may say Brockton Bay is getting too much attention this week, but we've got a new hero on the scene that just screams 'sexiest cape around'. Not that he wears a cape." I've never seen her look so... pleased? Excited? Whatever it is, I don't like the thought of someone else getting that kind of reaction when I never have. "I'm pretty sure this independent hero is underage, but he certainly makes some fine eye-candy."

The figure on the screen certainly is well-built. A bit more of a swimmer's musculature than I'd aim for, but the guy certainly put some effort into getting into shape. What I don't understand why he's wearing nothing but a leopard print speedo and a domino mask. Or why he's oiled up like a professional muscleman or model. He doesn't look like he's very comfortable in his costume yet, but he's still handily dispatching some gun-totting mooks. A graze proves that despite his choice in outfits, the new guy is not bulletproof.

...I think I'm just a touch intimidated. I'd never have the balls to fight crime without my armor. Facing parahumans with no more protection than the sock he's got stuffed down the front of his briefs... hell no.

"And check out that package! With just how much he's got going on for him, you'd think he wouldn't be quite so shy. Personally, I find it cute. There's just one bit of bad news: he may be taken. He's only been seen in the company of a new heroine." A new picture flashes across the screen briefly. Female, gold armor, red cape, nice legs. I'll have to look her up.

The screen flashes back to the new guy. "But until there's some kind of confirmation, he's still open game! So ladies, let's all give a big hand (but only one, because the other one is busy) to our new and sexiest of the week hero: Atlas!"

* * *

Author's Note: I don't think I've ever seen a narcissistic Gallant before... And since I'm sure there will be questions - in this universe James received the [Atlas Trunks] as his quest award for picking a name and making his first costume. As long as he wears nothing but the "trunks" and a mask, he earns several times as much exp for physical skills and stats. And appears to be well-oiled.


	16. Special 3: Halloween

Holiday Special #3: Halloween

Halloween had always been James' favorite holiday, in one form or another. Until his family moved to Brockton Bay, and for the first year after, his mother had insisted on not celebrating 'the devil's birthday'. Instead, the Barron family would go to a 'harvest festival' sometime in late October or early November. October 31st itself was spent pretending to not be home, in hopes no one would 'trick' the house for not giving out candy. In the South it usually worked. In the Bay? It took years after that first Halloween for James to find out that 'a gross' isn't only a measurement for eggs. Ever since then, James had enjoyed dressing up as his favorite heroes, the occasional villain, even characters from retro and Earth Aleph media.

During his first year as a Cape, James had planned on dressing in some of the edgier costume options **[Crafting]** and **[ID Create]** offered him, until Gaia had given him and Taylor a quest to keep children from eating 'candy' from the Merchants. His impassioned speech on the sanctity of Trick-or-Treating as he pummeled the drug-pushers responsible went viral, including the part where Skidmark nearly ganked him from ambush. Taylor saved him at the last minute by giving Skids a 'bad acid flashback' ("Oh god! There are spiders **UNDER MY SKIN!** ") and smirking while giving what sounded like a well rehearsed speech about 'allies of justice' and 'looking out for each other'. One of the children recorded the whole thing and posted it to ViewTube. It went completely viral, and it took James months to get people to stop quoting it. Gaia must have liked it too, as their quest rewards were a pair of costumes. 'Sailor Moon' for James and 'Tuxedo Mask' for Taylor. He didn't get the joke until after he'd equipped the 'new gear'. The +25% to magic damage and +10 to Speech were almost worth equipping it again though.

His second year, James tried to avoid the issue, without ruining his night, by inviting the whole gang over for a costume party. Each of them dressed up as the first supervillain they ever defeated, gender adjusted if necessary. James and Taylor spent most of the night joke-arguing about who deserved credit for defeating Lung. Everyone agreed that she wore his scales better. Lisa made Coil's black and white bodysuit look **good**. Rachel refused to dress up as Hookwolf, but did carry around a life-sized sculpture of his transformed head, fake blood dripping from it. Despite repeated reminders that he didn't have to cross-dress, Alec showed up in a spectacularly well-made Glass Bakuda costume, translucent fake boobs and all. Once again, Aisha proved that there was nothing she couldn't add her own touch to, turning a Kaiser theme into a whole new vehicle for showcasing cleavage. And blades. Lots and lots of blades. Brian insisted that his costume wasn't Jason, but refused to wear purple with his hockey mask.

The quest showed up around midnight, and simply requested they all bob for apples. As each of the partiers retrieved their apple, it was instantly coated in caramel as the quest completed and a new costume appeared in their hands. Everyone agreed that Rachel made a fantastic Werewolf, still hauling around her bladed wolf head. Lisa was the only person not happy with her Banshee costume. Frankenstein's monster really shouldn't be bishonen, but Alec wouldn't wear it any other way. Brian made for a very intimidating, if billowy, Death. Any and all complaints that an Invisible Woman costume shouldn't show cleavage between the bandages were cheerfully ignored by Aisha. And James and Taylor found themselves (jokingly) arguing again, this time about who made a better Vampire. Once again, the general consensus fell in support of Taylor's cape-wearing prowess.

This year, James tried to game the system by preparing his own quest ahead of time. He was proven right when the quest showed up before the sun even set.

 **[New Quest Alert: Distribute Candy!]**

 **[Give out at least 500 pieces of candy (each)]**

 **[Time limit: 3 hours]**

 **[Reward: ? Costume(s), 50,000 XP, increased relationship with the children of Brockton Bay.]**

 **[Failure: Decreased reputation with the old ladies who saw you buy all that candy, severe sugar crash]**

With surprisingly similar smirks, the gathered parahumans shouldered their candy cannons and aimed out over the city.

"Fire!"

Victory was sweet. Even after Gaia rewarded them with Sugar Rush costumes.

* * *

Author's Note: I swear, next update is back to the main story. I was working on it when I suddenly remembered it's Halloween. And I couldn't not write this.


	17. Tutorial 2-6

Tutorial 2.6

Simply sharing a room with a little brother would suck. Sharing a room with my younger brother, who's already pushing six feet at age 13 (and a half), completely blows. Seriously. I'm getting his hand-me-downs now. And he's such a little snitch. Or something that rhymes with it.

"What are you doing with my shirt?" Andy's got a rather deep voice for his age. I'm not sure how much of it is him faking it and how much is just part of hitting the puberty jackpot. He'd almost be intimidating if I hadn't just spend the day fighting zombies alongside a cape who could pull off calling herself Pestilence if she wanted.

We've had this conversation before. "Dude, your shoulders don't fit in it anymore. Mom passed it to me six months ago. You said I could have it the last time I wore it, two months ago."

"Whatever. Just changing into pajamas early so Mom will let me stay up to watch that Earth Aleph movie with the trippy dreams." Ah, the little shit's just marking territory again. And he's already gone to change in the bathroom. Usually it takes even longer than this to get him to drop it when he's fishing for a reminder that he's taller than me and that half my clothes were his within the last year. I'm not short, but it's enough to give a guy a complex.

I don't know how long the movie is, but an hour and a half is a good rule of thumb. So I need to hurry. Suit, armor, and a name… I can do this.

In the end it takes me just over two hours to cobble something not quite entirely unwearable together. Whatever the movie is, it's still going. I have to leave a few pieces in the garage to dry overnight, but it's unlikely anyone else will go in there on a Sunday morning. Looks like I'm in the clear. And exhausted. Too bad I can't actually sleep until Andy goes to bed.

..ooOoo..

Taylor's in nearly the exact same spot as she was last time. I'm a few minutes earlier than last time, partially because all the running is doing amazing things for my VIT, and partially because I need to finish my quest before ten. That's under two minutes from now. I'm cutting it close, but I can finish it in time. "Do you have the mask? My quest won't complete, and I think it's because the costume isn't complete." She hands over the yellowish grey balaclava and I greedily pull it over my face. " **[Inventory]** "

A few quick swipes equip my **[Black Jeans]** , **[Blue/Black Franken-Shirt]** , **[Black Knit Gloves]** , and **[Grey Velcro Shoes]** quickly replace the more colorful clothes I'd been wearing a moment ago. Now for the more costume-y parts. One at a time, the remaining items appear on top of my clothes. **[Brown Soccer Shinguards]** , **[Brown Scavenged Tin Greaves]** , **[Brown Scavenged Tin Chest Plate]** , **[Enveloping Shades]** , and finally the unimpressive **[Brown Antenna'd BMX Helmet]**. It's not pretty, but it's not bad for only having one night to work on it.

"I couldn't find any black spray paint, and the helmet is crap, but it's a start." Taylor doesn't look quite as unimpressed as I expected. The chest-plate seems to have drawn her attention. Hmm, no quest completion... I've only got a few seconds left when I realize what I still need to do, "Meet Beetle Knight!"

"Wait, what?"

 **[00:00:04]**

 **[Quest Completed!]**

 **[You have gained 500 XP and a piece of Beetle Knight equipment]**

A decent-size cardboard box appears on the ground in front of me. "Beetle Knight. I thought it worked well as a 'insect medieval' theme. And I like the sound of it. Lady Bug. Beetle Knight. Get it?" I miss her reaction as I'm busy ripping the box open. There's a head-sized black object wrapped in packing foam and five smaller boxes. Okay, it's a helmet. Glossy black, two big eye lenses, stylized fang/mandibles, a section of vents over the nose and mouth, and an oddly shaped hole in the upper forehead.

"Okay, it's not bad. The name works well with Lady Bug and gives us a shared theme. Give me time and I'll get a spider silk under-suit made to go under your armor. Also, Parian might have some ideas that work with the name. That hole looks… like it could be a problem," she waffled.

"Let's see what's up with that. **[Observe]** "

 **[Unsocketed Beetle Knight Helmet]**

 **[Type: Equipment; Quality: Epic]**

 **[An unnaturally hard helmet given to the Beetle Knight to protect his head and identity. Comes with five interchangeable attachments for different situations. None is attached at this time.]**

"One moment…" I dig into the largest of the remaining boxes. A pair of curved horns with a slight split towards each tip, also in glossy black, clears the packaging. " **[Observe]** "

 **[Stag Beetle Augment]**

 **[Type: Augment; Quality: Rare]**

 **[A pair of stag beetle horns made to be socketed to the {Beetle Knight Helmet}. Provides a +5% boost to AGI while equipped.]**

Sure enough, it slides right into place. "It's got a few different add-ons. This one gives an extra five percent to **AGI**." The other boxes contain similar items. **[Goliath Beetle Augment]** has a large, long bottom horn and a top horn forming a kind of sideways jaw and gives a small boost to **STR**. Three long horns forming an upside down triangle with a bare stub of a horn between make up the **[Atlas Beetle Augment]** , which boosts **VIT**. There's no boost from the **[Firefly Augment]** but the tiny antenna come with a headlamp built-in. The last augment, **[Golden Scarab]** , looks kinda like a pair of bent antenna that bulb out towards the ends. For **[+5% LUK]** , it's well worth it for Illusion Barriers, even if apparently also turns my entire outfit gold while equipped. I'll probably look like a half-assed armored Scion knockoff if I ever wear it around people.

"That's way better than the one you're wearing. Why don't you try it on?" Taylor's fragile smile seems to be physically pained.

Admittedly the helmet I pieced together last night is awful. I think the thing's a little small. A few flicks of my finger later I'm adjusting to the feel of having a pair of pincers on top of my head.

"Yes, much better. I like that helm. If you can get a full set like that you won't need help from me or Parian. That reminds me - did the pauldrons look bad?"

 **[Novice Hero]**

 **[Obtained by finding your heroic spirit.]**

 **[You are just beginning on your journey as a hero!]**

 **[Become a Hero and save the world!]**

 **[10% increase in exp gain for stats]**

 **[10% increase in exp gain for skills]**

 **[Only available to level 25]**

"Haven't made it yet. Just earned a title. I'm a **[Novice Hero]** now. Gimme a sec." Equipping a title the first time didn't seem to make any obvious changes. Maybe it's just the difference between the two, but I can feel my hatred for the undead subside a little, replaced by an equivalent increase in my drive to excel as a hero. "That's… really weird feeling. Definitely using this one for a bit, though." Some basic math has shown me that I get more out of each level up if I already have higher **VIT** and **INT**. So a little focus on stats over damage should be a good thing for now. "That's useful."

Taylor nods, "Especially for me. I swapped back to **[Novice Hero]** last night. All I get from leveling is a few stat points, which I plan to save until it becomes harder to earn stat levels."

"Well, it does make more sense to use your rare candies at level 90 than at level 9." I don't think she gets the reference, but she nods along anyway. I'd explain, but I don't want to start my life as a Cape by acting like Uber and L33t. That would be a bad omen. "We've got a few levels on the zombies now. How about we try training our skills a little, maybe try and fill in our skill lists. I kinda want **[Rising Strike]** and **[Finishing Blow]** , and I'm sure-"

"I want **[Physical Resistance]** ," she interrupts with a great deal of certainty. There's a brief pause. "...and **[Grounding Strike]**. Give me a moment to change into my costume." She blushes. "Be right back."

Girls. Even an insta-change requires privacy.

It really does only take her a moment to return as Lady Bug, bat in hand. "Okay, I'm ready-"

" **[ID Create!]** "

Before I can suggest a plan, or ask for a weapon, Lady Bug has launched an especially emaciated zombie into the air with a **[Rising Strike]**. Its frail form flies high enough I have to jump a little to catch it with an unarmed **[Grounding Strike]** , but that does give me enough time to ready another blow for the moment it hits the ground. Its face squish/crunches around my fist. Thankfully it dissolves off my hand before the sheer grossness can sink in.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[A skill to finish off injured opponents, {Finishing Blow}, has been created.]**

 **[Finishing Blow (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**

 **[Allows user to strike an incapacitated target for bonus damage. 25% increase in critical rate. 100% increase in attack damage. Can only be used on prone opponents.]**

 **[... and hit the ground!]**

 **[Brawling's level goes up by one!]**

 **[You've got 14 XP]**

"Got **[Finishing Strike!]** " I announce. "Do you have a-"

Taylor's already got the knife from yesterday in hand. "You opened the barrier before I could offer you a weapon. This is the only spare I've got on me. You probably can't get **[Rising Strike]** with it, though." Even as she's offering the blade to me, her insects are **[Entangling]** half a dozen zombies. She's left the nearest one free to shuffle towards us,

"I'll stick to unarmed until that one pops. But thanks." I snag the knife, step forward and mistime an uppercut, hitting it square in the chest for damage only. And not even much at that. "Hey, Taylor, can I ask you something?" I should probably start thinking of her as 'Lady Bug' while in costume.

"Sure." She steps up to another zombie " **[Power Strike!]** " and slams her bat into its head.

I step back a little and try the uppercut again. The zombie's hit points drop by maybe a third with a **[Critical Hit!]** as his head snaps back, but still no **[Rising Strike]**. I'm hitting too high for this, I think. "So what's up with the bitches three? They are way too focused on you and you alone. Seriously, hero or not, how have you not given them crabs or at least lice?"

" **[Rising Strike!]** " Tay- Lady Bug slams the zombie she's fighting in the nuts. She does not need to hit that low for the skill to work. It flew into the air as it drops to zero hit points. **[You've got 14 XP]** It dissolves into a nothing but a rib that clatters to the deck a dozen or so feet away. "I don't give them crabs because I can feel exactly where all the bugs in my range are. All the time. I don't give them lice because I'm better than them. Than that. I'm going to use my powers for good." She backs away and sighs. "Besides... sometimes my emotions leak into my bugs. If I ever started with them, I'm not sure I could stop. It's... They're... They aren't worth it."

I crouch a bit, plant my feet, and aim another uppercut, this one for the zombie's diaphragm. The corpse lifts completely off the ground. I don't need to check the flashing indicator to know I got **[Rising Strike]**. But it's not the time to mention it. "Okay, I get it. Beware the dark side, forever shall it dominate your destiny. But what's with their hate-on for you?" I switch to using the knife.

Lady Bug half-releases a zombie and repurposes the **[Entangle]** to trip it. She viciously smashes its head twice with two **[Finishing Blows]**. **[14 XP]** "It's a girl thing. Emma used to be my best friend. Then she got to high school and realized that as a model she could be popular, but little old me was uncool. So she ditched me for Sophia the track star and popular girl. I'm the ex best friend forever who is unpopular. She has to diss me to prove she's above me now." She picks up the shard that dropped. "At least that's the only sense I can make of it." She points her bat at another zombie. "Letting that one have a go at you."

"Setting one up. **[Rising Strike]**." I launch the undead right into her path with my free hand. "Take it down."

...someone needs to talk to Taylor about her tendency to go for the nads. Aiming for weak points is one thing, but that's just not right. Still, that was a perfect **[Grounding Strike]**. I'm sure she's got the skill now.

"If you don't mind me asking, why isn't D&D a good cover story at your house?" Lady Bug is letting one zoot-suited zombie live long enough to get a few hits in, probably trying for **[Physical Resistance]**. Her armor is probably doing a lot to make that tolerable. My homemade kit is doing more to stave off glancing blows than I'd expected.

"Honestly, I'm a little on the outside, even in my family, so I don't know all the details," I hedge. It's completely true, though. I smash back a zombie while deciding how to word things. "What I do know is that one night Mom woke the entire house up yelling because she'd found my oldest brother, Bill's Dungeons and Dragons books. Too many demons and too much magic for her take on Christianity." **[Power Strike]** and the undead. Catharsis. "She kept the whole house up for three or four hours yelling and crying. When she finally shut up long enough for everyone to get back to sleep, he left. It was over a year before we heard from him again. Even now he's unwilling to be around more than once every three or four months, and it's been around seven years."

"Oh, sounds uncomfortable," her tone sounds just as uneasy. "My family was never really religious."

There's a long, uncomfortable silence. The only sounds are thwacks, slices, and groans. Thankfully, I have a thought. "On the subject of books, I noticed two of my books at home count as skill books. I brought them along. We should check them out after lunch. Tabouli and provolone on wheat, by the way."

The conversation is combat focused and much more comfortable for the next hour or so. Along with both skills I was aiming for, I unlock **[Light Armor Mastery]** and earn another point of **AGI** and **STR**. Looks like I also got **[+1 Brawling]** , **[+2 Power Strike]** , **[+3 Knife Mastery]** , and **[+2 Grounding Strike]**. And a shiny new level.

As I dispel the Illusion Barrier, Lady Bug reports her progress. "I got 3 more levels of **[Blunt Weapon Mastery]** and **[Entangle]**. 2 more of **[Rising Strike]** , **[Light Armor Mastery]** , **[Power Strike]** , and **[Finishing Blow]**. Just 1 for **[AGI]** , **[VIT]** , **[Combat Mapping]** , and **[Dodge]**. And I unlocked **[Grounding Strike]** but not **[Physical Resistance]**."

"Maybe nothing hit you hard enough? If it weren't for **[Gamer's Body]** , I'd be bruised pretty badly from how I got that. **[Inventory]**." Now that I've got my handy extra-dimensional storage, the tupperware is unnecessary. Preplated sandwiches look better anyway. The glasses of water are just me showing off a little. I also pull out two books. There's a brief pop-up as I handle each, but it fades as I place them on the ground.

Taylor ducks around a corner while I'm arranging things and un-equipping the more costumey bits of my outfit. The first thing she grabs isn't a sandwich, but a book. "Beginner's BASIC? I…" Her eyes shift in a way I'm rapidly associating with game messages. "Wait! We don't have to study? Push a button and just learn it? This could make computer class even easier. This could make **everything** easier..." She pokes a finger at the air.

The book vanishes.

Okay, not like an instant 'blink gone' vanish. It suddenly glows, fragments, and disappears like sparks rising from a fire. Taylor's hair floats briefly in a breeze that isn't touching anything else, a calm smile on her face.

"Wow. That was… I already knew most of that, but still. I didn't expect a skill as broad as **[Computer Programming]** from this book and it just poured into my head!" She looks down and realizes the book is gone. Her smile turns sheepish. "...sorry."

I wave her off. "I half-expected it. A lot of games only let you get one use out of skill books. I guess 'Long is a Dragon' is mine." I grab the remaining, much thinner book.

 **[You've obtained the skill book {Chinese}]**

 **[Would you like to learn the skill?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

"I never figured I'd actually learn Chinese before Japanese." I only got the book back in grade school because it had a dragon on the cover. "Yes."

Knowledge fills me, expanding my comprehension of the world around me. Pronunciations, hanzi, and some grammar slots itself neatly into my mind. Wow.

 **[You've obtained the skill {Chinese}]**

 **[Chinese (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**

 **[Allows the user to read, write, speak, and understand Mandarin, Cantonese, and many other sub-dialects. At this level, the user has a pre-schooler's comprehension and will suffer misunderstandings between the various dialects.]**

"I get the feeling I'll still need to study a lot before it's really useful, but damn me if that wasn't one hell of a jump start."

"No kidding." I guess Taylor found the lightshow as impressive as I did. She looks more timid than I've seen before. "...can we go shopping after lunch? I think I need to visit a used book store…"

* * *

Author's Note: If you're curious about the Beetle Knight helmet, it was inspired by Shadow Moon from Kamen Rider Black. Just a quick google will show what I mean.


	18. Tutorial 2-7

Tutorial 2.7

Skipping down the streets doesn't really match my mental picture of Taylor from the last year or so, but I guess she's excited about skill books. I've only been to Book Brothers a few times, but Taylor seems sure it's our best bet for finding a useful book or two for cheap.

"Don't get too excited," I have to warn her. "I've only got about ten bucks in spare change. I doubt we can get more than two or three books for that."

"I've got twenty dollars for emergencies. And this is a book shopping emergency!"

Well, that's my kind of a shopping emergency. Glad she's not the kind to have blown it on a new purse or shoes. "So, what are we looking for?"

We discuss options for a better ranged attack than [Knife Throwing], but can't think of anything we're happy with. Guns, crossbows, and bows are all a bit too lethal. Not to mention how expensive guns and crossbows can get. I could probably carve a shitty bow (hey, maybe I'd get a [Crafting] skill), but it'd be too unwieldy to run around the city with. We consider lassos, bolos, and boomerangs, but neither of us wants to be known for something that gimmicky. Maybe after we've established ourselves with the image we want.

When Taylor asks about martial arts, I fib a little about researching last night. It only took half an hour or so to make sure I was remembering things correctly. And that Cyberpunk 2020 and a few online conversations weren't completely BS. If this is like one of those 'pick one style' games, I want something well rounded, like Jeet Kune Do or Choy Li Fut (if I don't want to be cliche). I'm glad Taylor is accepts my comments on the unsuitability of Judo. Sports have no place in a real fight. I steer her towards Aikido when it occurs to me that a bokken and a bat are close enough to let her keep using her favorite weapon.

Seriously, she's become really attached to that thing in the last twenty-four hours. When I stashed her gear in my inventory I had to convince her to let me store it before we get to the bookstore. I think if I hadn't reminded her that I shouldn't be using my inventory in public and that most stores wouldn't let her in with it she'd still be carrying it.

Book Brothers smells like paper, ink, and mildew. I think I've found a new favorite store. If it weren't for Taylor leading the way, I could spend hours exploring the place. As it is, I'm throwing out [Observes] like it's a mantra. I even earn two more skill levels out of it. I can tell the moment we enter the room she was aiming for. Something like one in three books is described as a skill book. Most are almost useless, though. I can't think of any time I'll need a [Tiddlywinks] skill. "They're everywhere in here. Elsewhere not so much, but I'd say about a third of these are… useful." A grungy old dude who reeks of tobacco smoke is poking at a shelf of [Photography] and [Collage] books. "For a given value of 'useful.' Take this one for example, "If you wanted to learn how to [Pilot, Small Aircraft], this would do it. I don't think it is what we're really looking for, do you?"

Taylor shook her head, but still held out a hand, "Mind if I take a look at it?"

"Sure." There's no reason why not. I start throwing out an [Observe] or two to figure out where the Martial Arts books are while she's looking over the airplane book.

She puts the book aside with a mutter of "No, not exactly what I'm looking for." I find what I'm looking for as she wanders over towards the cook books.

[You've obtained the skill book {Jeet Kune Do}]

[A hybrid martial art with a focus on real-world combat and interrupting the opponent's attacks.]

[Minimum STR: 10]

[Minimum AGI: 20]

[Minimum VIT: 15]

[Minimum WIS: 10]

[Minimum INT: 25]

[Due to your previous knowledge you will gain {Jeet Kune Do} at an increased level.]

[Passively increases speed and damage of unarmed attacks by 20%]

[Passively grants a 2% chance to disrupt the opponent's next attack within a second on a successful hit.]

[Warning! This skill replaces {Brawling, lvl 4}]

[Warning! The practice of {Jeet Kune Do} requires the ability to maintain a relaxed and analytical state of mind even under stress. Skill level in {Jeet Kune} may not exceed character's {WIS} or half the character's {INT}]

[Would you like to learn {Jeet Kune Do, lvl 2}]

[Yes] [No]

I'm short on AGI, but I'd rather spend a few stat points and start using this gloriously bullshit skill now. I'm not even sure how I could grind AGI anyway. Hopscotch? Cat's Cradle?

It only takes a moment to check the alphabetized shelves for a book on Aikido. Well, two moments. I look for "Beginner's Aikido" or something similar in the 'B's before shifting to the 'A's.

"Didn't find anything that I want to buy yet, but I learned something. Did you find your book?" Gah! Ninja-girl! When'd she get over here?

I hold up the book with a grin. "Yeah. It was really popular for a few years, so it's not too surprising to find a copy. It's got some awesome bonuses!" Out comes the Aikido volume. "I also got lucky and found you this," And now I'm probably being pushy. It is her money afterall. "If you want it."

Taylor's eyes flick back and forth as she reviews the skill. "This looks pretty damn good to me. What's a jo and a tanto?"

Jo… that's sounds familiar… oh, right. "A jo is a bo - a quarterstaff, and a tanto is the knife version of a katana."

"Then yes, I'll be ta-" Oh crap. The book breaks into glowing fragments and fades away. Taylor slumps and I grab her elbow just in case. It looks like she's a little overwhelmed. ...it's a little awkward just standing here holding a girl's arm. The smokey old man glances our way, but I guess he didn't quite catch what happened as he goes about his business almost immediately.

As Taylor recovered she reclaimed her arm before things got too awkward, I checked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She doesn't look like there's any ill effects. "I'm even better than fine. I feel good. What a rush." She shifts, almost like she's about to stretch. "That one was just a bit… more than the programming one, you know."

"Not really, but I think I get the gist." I'm not sure since we were sitting last time, but it sounds like it had a bit more oomph to it than the other skills. "[Chinese] was a bit more than what I was expecting." Tobacco man is still within sight. I nod towards him, "He peered over this way, but went back to minding his own business."

Taylor nods back. "Thanks for catching me. Not that I'm complaining, but why did your power have me learn the book?"

"Well, I wasn't going to just watch you tip over." Oh, wait, that wasn't the question. Hmmm. Probably the voice command. Taylor has been using the buttons most of the time so far. "I guess you had the window open and said 'yes'?"

"Right. Lesson learned." And it's her turn to nod again. Lot of that going around. "Watch what we say when windows are open."

Good point. My nodding turn. Come to think of it, learning a martial art this way sounds like kinda I imagined it would feel from watching The Matrix. I'll have to upload it as soon as we pay. On the subject of paying... "So, what are we going to do about the book?" Even as an accident, stealing isn't very heroic. But we can't exactly pay for it and tell them 'my power ate the book'. "You want to leave a five on the shelf or something?"

And there's the Look. What'd I do this time? "What's wrong with that statement?"

What? We leave the money and the workers find the money… after… close. Ah. "Whoever finds it will most likely just pocket it."

"Yup. Book Brothers buys back books-" Yay alliteration! I mean… "for store credit. I'll return some books for store credit later this week and never use five dollars of it. That way I repay them for the book, even if they never know."

"That works." I give Taylor a shrewd look. Huh. She looks a little taller. Ah, the slouch is gone. "I think you're standing differently. So was aikido worth it?"

"Oh hell yeah. It was definitely worth it." There's a bit of barely restrained glee in her tone. "You should get that Jeet Kune Do book."

Well, I really want to. I glance at the price tag. "I'm going to. It's eight bucks." Which is almost all I've got, but it's so worth it.

"You should get it. We're pooling our cash." Well, that's nice. I'm not exactly comfortable with it though. "I already got an aikido book. It's fine. You did buy me lunch, and it wasn't a date. So I'm just paying you back." ...I'll keep it reasonable.

"Right, so... First aid?" It doesn't matter which of us learns that first, we'll both benefit. Unless my [Gamer's Body] makes normal medical techniques useless on me, that is. Can't exactly bandage cuts that vanish immediately or replace missing HP from a bottle.

..ooOoo..

There aren't any useable First Aid books at Book Brothers. There are some full-on medical texts that require 75 INT or more, some alternative medicine books that offer mild buffs only, and a copy of Gray's Anatomy that didn't seem immediately worth the eight dollar price tag. But we'll have to come back for that. Even if I never need it, that kind of raw knowledge intrigues me. We'll have to hit one of those military surplus/Endbringer prepper stores some other day. They usually have First Aid manuals.

We check out a lot of ideas, but most of them are full-on useless, or way too situational to spend our limited funds on. Taylor suggests we see if any of the new-agey, neo-Pagan type books would work for me. It's a bit much like the Acolytes (crazy villains who claim their powers are magic) for me, but I do have MP. As is, there are a few knowledge skills like [Occult Knowledge], and the only real skill book, [Hypnosis], is useless for combat and requires 40 WIS. Taylor isn't interested enough to get it either, especially with the negative connotations these days. Fucking Canary.

After over an hour's browsing, I settle on Jeet Kune Do, Hoyle's Book of Games for [Gambling] and a boost to LUK, and The Art of Blacksmithing, which promises to give me my first level in [Crafting] and a load of blueprints. I don't think I'll ever need to make horseshoes or nails, but it's nice to have the option. And until more blueprints drop from killing zombies, I'll happily settle for some self-made platemail.

Taylor gets the game book, a book for acrobatics, and The Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Not sure I get the last one. She seems to know almost everything about each bug she controls. But if she thinks it could be useful...

Our total is almost $30, so Taylor's twenty isn't enough, which means spending the random change I dumped in my inventory this morning. I hate spending loose coins. And I really should have just put it in my pockets. "Taylor, keep an eye out. I need to get my money out of my [Inventory]." There's no pile of change in my inventory. There's no neat stacks of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Instead, there's a little label reading $12.89 at the bottom of the screen. If this is anything like an action RPG, I just need to poke here and-

[Withdraw how much?]

[$ 00 . 00]

[Accept] [Cancel]

It's simple enough to poke the up arrow in the tens column and the accept button. I quickly cup my hands to catch the coins. And a single bill drops into my hands. I tap Taylor's shoulder. "Um… my power just gave me a ten for my change."

..ooOoo..

I love early spring. Not too hot, not too cold, and there's usually just enough clouds to keep my poor troglodytic eyes safe. I could do without the insects, but that's just something I'll have to get over with Taylor around. As she starts skipping down the road (she must be just as excited about the books as I am), I discreetly slide the books into my inventory. A giggle draws my attention.

"I can't believe it! I got a point of AGI for skipping."

Oh, that's just bullshit. And conveniently timed. "Really?"

"Yup. Come to think about it. Why are we just walking? We could jog and work our VIT."

And the sooner we get back the sooner we can learn those books. But it isn't VIT I need right now. "You can jog if you want." I take off at a skip.

"James what are you doing?"

Something about skipping makes it hard to not grin. "I'm skipping. Duh." The incredulous look on Taylor's face makes me laugh a little. "Seriously, I need agility much more than I need vitality. I'm below the minimum I need to learn [Jeet Kune Do]."

She shrugs, "Right." and joins right in.

I hope she's not doing this because she's trying to make me stand out less. I mean, I don't care much if I stick out. "Really, you don't have to skip. If you'd rather jog, then jog."

"No, it's okay," she's getting the skipping grin, too. "I haven't done this in years."

More people should skip. It's the most fun form of ambulatory transit I know.

Taylor's grin turns mischievous. "So, did I tell you I picked up a [Singing] skill?"

We spend the rest of the trip singing Skip to My Lou, which netted me the [Singing] skill and [+2 AGI]. Well, every point counts.

The moment we reached our spot, Taylor slid to the ground and spread into a basic stretch. Oh, hello, happy strip of skin. I'm really not trying to perv, but when a girl's shirt rides up just a touch like that… Eyes just don't want to cooperate. "Hey James. Let's stop and stretch out." Yes, stretching. Good idea. Also pulling her jeans snug. Do go on. "We need to talk." ...ah crap. Eyes front and hope she didn't notice.

"S-stretch?" Okay, act cool. I circle to a less creeper angle and join her on the deck. "Yeah, I guess we really should." I copy her side-toe-touch thing. I really don't know what these are called.

She nods at me as she switches to her right leg. I follow along. Safe! ...I hope. "Well, first thing is this right here. This stretching." Focus on my toes. Reach for the toes. "Ever since I read the aikido book, I've felt like it was something I needed to do. And now that I'm doing them. my body feels wrong. Too stiff. I feel like I should be far more flexible than I am."

Nothing wrong with that. "I guess that really isn't that surprising. Most martial artist are very limber. You have to be to do the moves they do." Limber, that's a good ide… my god, what is with me today? She's stretching center now.

"You're missing the point. I didn't just get the skill. Apparently I picked up some compulsions." The emphasis brings me back to focus. "They're not overpowering, I suppose I could fight them, but I don't want to. Not stretching and being stiff instead of limber is a bad thing. Looking back, I'm amazed I didn't hurt myself when I threw myself into jogging every day without stretching." Oh, she's been jogging? That explains how much higher her VIT is than mine. And how nice her- sonuvabitch! Focus, James! "I have a desire to be limber, but I didn't before I learned [Aikido]. I didn't just learn skills. It changed the way I think."

Let's think. "Hmm." I wonder if [Computer Programming] affected her the same way. "I see. Do you feel the need to drink a case of Mountain Dew and stay up all night coding?" Okay, a little stereotypical, but Pa's told me a few stories about how things get in IT.

"What? No." Taylor looks more offended than that warrants. "I told you that the [Computer Programming] felt more compartmentalized. Like it has its own allocated section of memory. [Aikido] installed itself into my BIOS." We both freeze mid-stretch. "Oh my God, did I just say that?"

"Yeah, you did. I think you just convinced me." This could be bad. "Fuck." But I can't just not use skill books. It's one of the best parts of my power. "I'm still going to learn the [Jeet Kune Do].book after we stretch." Rationalization mode. Buy time. "You found some drawbacks," No kidding. Draw things out, think out loud, "but honestly if you'd learned aikido the normal way, through years of effort, don't you think you would have acquired the same desire for flexibility?" Huh, I have a point there. It's like a few years' jumpstart. "Actually, it might just be that mainlining all that knowledge is a little like spending a few weeks," Too short, "Or months focusing on the one thing. I can't say for sure, but I'd guess things will," Might, "Normalize in a few days as things sink in." And maybe things could get balanced out. "Or when more skills get added."

She takes a deep breath, drawing my eyes down and highlighting how much of a sweat she'd worked up skipping across town. Huh, I'm not sweaty. At all. Score another one for [Gamer's Body]. "Okay, I see where you're going." She resumes stretching. Back to copying her."So, by that logic if I'd spent the time to learn [Computer Programming] to the level the book gave me, then naturally the vocabulary would creep into my language. So, there are changes, but they're due to learning the skills quickly?"

Well, that's what I hope. "Right. At least I think that's right." And that reminds me. "Anyway, [Gamer's Mind] is already changing the way I think. Plus, when I swapped out the [Apprentice Undead Hunter] title, I could almost feel a hatred for the undead draining away. Maybe we just need to watch each other. Like spotting in lifting weights. We keep each other honest. Make sure we don't get overwhelmed, keep an eye out to see if the side-effects wear off in time or not."

"Good thing we're partners then," she says, relieved.

I toss in a few extra dips at the end of the stretching, just barely eking out one last point of AGI. I've never spent points before, so it's a bit of a wrench, but [Jeet Kune Do, Level 2] is completely worth it. And I do have 33 points left if I need them later. Maybe it's the formless nature of the Art, maybe it's the rather large increase in my agility, but I don't feel all that different. [Gambling] has even less of an effect, but [Crafting] is a bit of a surprise. All the techniques, precise cuts and measured hammer blows and finally knowing the lock-stitch; the blueprints, greaves and sabatons and vambraces… I itch to try it all out. It kinda reminds me of the feeling when I figure out what costume I want to make next.

Taylor's doing a neat little front flip. The landing was a little rough, but still. Impressive. I guess she uploaded [Acrobatics], [Entomology], and [Gambling]. We should play a round of poker or backgammon sometime to test that one out.

We take a moment to discuss our new skills before giving them the test in an Illusion Barrier. Well, we take a moment to change back into heroic guise, of course.

Lady Bug doesn't even ask for her bat, she just wades right in, flinging zombies around by turning every sloppy attack against the corpses. Her nets keep us from facing too many foes at a time, and she's throwing the undead into each other like some absurd (yet totally functional) form of humanoid bowling.

I'm having a little harder time of it than her. [Jeet Kune Do] isn't really giving me a lot of options for turning my enemies' attacks against them. Or even for avoiding them. I mean, occasionally I get a flash of insight as I'm throwing a punch that let's me know I've ruined the super-telegraphed strike coming from the zombie I've just pummeled. The real benefits come from needing nearly no space to wind up a punch and the sudden grasp of brutally effective low kicks. I've got twice as many limbs to strike with and if/when a zombie gets right up in my face, I've got plenty of room to get a good hit in.

Zombie fighting is great training. [Jeet Kune Do] is up to 5, [Physical Resistance] made it to 5, [Power Strike] is level 10 now (and works beautifully with unarmed attacks), [Light Armor Mastery] grew to level 3, [Sense Danger] is now at a still useless level 4, and [Dodge] is also level 4. Not only that, but [ID Create] and [ID Escape] finally leveled. Along with two more levels, [+2 STR], [+1 AGI], and [+1 VIT], I'm feeling badass. Taylor tells me she earned three levels of [Aikido]; two of [Combat Mapping], [Dodge], [Entangle], and [Light Armor]; and one each of [STR], [AGI], [VIT], and level.

"I also leveled my [Cryptography] to 6 during the fighting and I'm a good chunk of the way to 7," Taylor brags mildly as I set up our supper.

In combat? "How the hell did you manage to level [Cryptography] while we were fighting?"

Her proud smile looks a little tired. Can't blame her, it's been a long day. "Oh, I had some of my bugs encoding random words into a pig-pen cypher while we fought."

There's only one proper response to that. I stick out my tongue. "You know, you're a cheating cheater who cheats."

Even sandwiches can get old, so I brought a tray of veggies for supper. I think they're leftovers from a party at Mom's work, but the platter is still sealed with both hummus and ranch dip. Never tried hummus before. I quickly discover that it isn't my thing. Taylor doesn't seem to mind it.

"Yeah, but what's to stop you from working [Observe] while you fight? Or maybe I should learn [Chinese] and we could level that just by talking."

"You know, learning Chinese so we can practice together is a pretty good idea, but [Observe] isn't a skill I can grind in combat. I don't need the pop-ups blocking my view." Although, maybe if my [Sense Danger] ever becomes useful. Or maybe I can learn a [Blindfighting] skill… Something to think about later.

The rest of the meal was spent discussing where to get money to buy more skill books and ways to abuse Taylor's [Multitask] skill. Way too many ways to take advantage of that. I get a great idea to try and make an Area of Effect Damage Over Time skill using her bugs so we can do some serious farming for zombie parts. There's only two problems - Taylor's not really excited about probably leveling up again and she usually doesn't have enough bugs in the barrier to pull of my idea.

Which leads to a new idea. I can't store live bugs in my inventory, but any sitting on us when we transition come along. Arm already raised for opening the barrier, I patiently wait as Lady Bug layers both of us with as many insects as she can gather. We're more ambulatory balls of bugs than human by the time she runs out. I think the trickle of crabs joining at the end is just her needling me for demanding as many 'critters' as possible. "[ID Create]"

It works. As silence falls, millions of insects exploded off of us to attack half a dozen zombies in sight and doubtlessly dozens of undead in the distance. Lady Bug's skirt-nets trip and ensnare corpses as we clear out the nearest enemies. Her bat is back in use, [Rising Strikes] throw a few zombies into the air and I give them each an unarmed [Grounding Strike], usually with an elbow. It's fun, but [Power Strike] is easier and does more damage. And tripped zombies barely last a moment before getting a bat-delivered [Finishing Strike].

"Immediate area clear. I've got three on hold with [Entangle] on the ship and bugs on forty-two others throughout the zone," she reports as the last of the initial swarm fades. "My bugs are chewing as best they can, but is it doing anything?"

I can already see their health bars slowly shrinking, but more information is always welcome. There's a few cocooned zombies nearby. "[Observe]."

[Zombie Lvl 6]

[HP: 494/600 MP: 37/37]

[A walking corpse. No matter how it died, it hates the living, attacking and eating their flesh. Although it's slow, its strength is twice as much as when it was living.]

[Current Effects: Swarmed DoT]

"Yeah, it's working. It's showing up as a DoT effect and its hit points are slowly going down. Does that mean you got the skill?"

We both clear a few pop-up during the lull. "Oh yeah. I got!" Perfect. "I even get to name it."

I'm a little jealous. With her powers she can invent new maneuvers like this and make up amusing skill names for them. I doubt 'hit them in the face twice then the chest' will ever count as a nameable skill. "So what did you name it?"

"Swarm of Doom!" Wow does she sound pleased! "Does pretty much what you'd predicted, AoE and DoT… speaking of the DoT, how fast are the zombies going down?" Lady Bug pauses to scoop up a few [Soul Shards].

A quick ten-second count off my watch and a few [Observes] to get exact numbers. The math is simple enough, but I double check that it's consistent between targets. And how long that would take to kill them. "Looks like 2 to 3 HP per second, maybe five or six minutes and you'll take down every zombie in the zone."

"Okay, that's cool," her voice sounds pleasantly surprised. "So… smash a few while we wait?"

"You bet." I wasn't exactly planning on just standing around waiting. And this [Jeet Kune Do] stuff is fun. The nearest netted zombie will do. "That one."

As their health was whittled away, each zombie took fewer hits to down. Shortly, even a weak punch is one-shotting them. "They're going now," Lady Bug announces. "There goes three, seven, fifteen, half gone now, but starting to get some fresh spawns." Infinite zombies would suck in the real world, but here in my Illusion Barrier, it just mean that the party don't stop. "Three originals left. Two. One. Gone."

With no threats in range, we both get some delayed alerts. I only got another level in [Jeet Kune Do] and [Power Strike], but it looks like Taylor's got a decent number of pop-ups. I'm guessing [Swarm of Doom] just got several levels.

"Shit. We didn't think this through."

"What do you mean?" Zombies die. We loot. Woot. What more is there to do?

"I killed forty-two zombies across the zone. We've got 23 piles of loot scattered all over the place, and one of them is a blueprint. Are we just going to write that loot off?"

"Oh," Fuck. And there's the downside to ranged attacks, especially AoEs. We can't just hole up in our nice safe bottleneck if we want our loot.

"Yeah, oh."

"I hate to leave the loot. Especially a blueprint." I don't even have to know what it's for. I'd take a blueprint for [Undead Flipflops] if it dropped. And we've been handling them easily now that we've leveled our combat skills. "We've gotten a lot better at killing them, and with your [Combat Mapping] they can't really sneak up on us."

"True." The crown nods. "We'll go get them and use my new [Swarm of Doom] to soften them up."

"Cool. Yeah, we should be good," if not great. We've got this. "Let's kill some zombies."

..ooOoo..

This may not have been my best idea. The zombies haven't had time for [Swarm of Doom] to chew down their health much and I'm pretty sure they're spawning faster now. Three or four zombies at a time is more than I can take without them getting in a few hits. And I'm burning through MP too fast to keep using [Power Strike] to finish them quickly. Thank God Taylor's holding back the horde some with [Entangle].

The falling darkness is just making things harder. Not only are the zombies spawning at level 8 now, if it weren't for Lady Bug's white and gold outfit reflecting the fading light, I might have hit her a few times on accident. I'm just about to switch to the [Firefly Augment] when she pops two glowsticks and has some flying insects float them over my head. Huh. I've got Ioun Stones. She's also marking some of the undead with fireflies. I try to avoid crushing her likely limited supply as I pummel the zombies, but I end up with glowing fists regardless. ...I bet this looks badass…

We're almost back to the tugboat we started on when Lady Bug suddenly stiffens. "James, something is happening…" There's a certain wary tone to her voice. "More and more zombies are spawning, a bunch more, and they're all converging on a single point, and it isn't us." She points off in the distance. Thankfully, the point she's indicating isn't that close to us. "They're… merging." I can see it a little now, dark shapes climbing on top of each other and melting into a huge form. It kinda looks like a giant zombie. "What is that thing?"

My question exactly. "[Observe]."

[Legion Zombie, Level 34]

[HP: 15192/15200 MP: 1200/1200]

[Assembly of zombies full of resentment. When a large amount of zombies feel threatened due to mass hunting, they merge into a Legion Zombie. It has no magical abilities, but has immense strength and stamina. It is, however, very slow.]

[Current Effects: Swarm of Doom]

[Danger!]

"Oh SHIT!" Fuck! "It's a boss! Legion Zombie." Okay, the name isn't really useful. "Level 34!"

That explains it well enough. She grabs my hand. "James get us out of here! Now."

While some testing earlier showed that while loot left in a Illusion Barrier was lost forever and that bugs left behind would pop out in a few minutes, there's no I'd leave her alone with that thing for a second. My other hand snaps up and I bellow, "[ID Escape!]"

[You cannot escape from this area.]

My heart drops so far it almost nuts me. We're trapped. "Fuck! We're locked in until we kill it!

"Or maybe you're too low level with that skill," she almost begs. Fat chance of that working. Most games don't allow escape from boss fights. "Keep trying! I'll stall it." The heroic form of Lady Bug faces the putrid colossus. Countless dark specks gather around the massive form as she directs every insect she has towards it. It took over five minutes for her bugs to take down a [Zombie, Level 8]. I'm sure the increased surface area means more room for the insects to damage it, but still. It has a lot of health.

"[ID Escape!]" I try to force more… energy into the skill.

[You cannot escape from this area.]

No dice. And the monster is almost to us. If we don't get somewhere safe we'll be a smear on this things feet in less than a minute. "It's not working and we can't stay here. Come on! Let's get to the ship!"

"No, the ship's a deathtrap," Taylor immediately corrects. "That thing's too big, and the water's not that deep. He could wade in after us and we'd have nowhere to run. We need to circle around and give my bugs time to wear it down." She starts pulling me away from the Legion Zombie.

Running in circles isn't sustainable. The land forms an irregular semicircle and neither of us can exactly run on water or jump from ship to ship. We're able to run a hair faster than the beast's lumbering stride, but lose a little time scrambling over or zipping around smaller ships. Thankfully it can't just climb over the biggest ships.

"James? How fast is it going down?"

What does she expect? It's hasn't been that long. "Slowly." There's a bit more fear and bite in the word than I meant to share.

"How slowly?" Taylor guides us through a close turn.

"Too slowly. Taylor, it has over 15,000 HP. Your bugs are hurting it a little, but it will take hours at this rate." My first estimate was an optimistic forty-some minutes, but the enormous creature is slowly regenerating health. We could be here all night. It seems that [Gamer's Body] might let me do that, but Taylor wouldn't be able to. Maybe if I carried her? Would that let me grind STR and VIT? That may not be a bad idea… Nah. At least, not now. And maybe with weights instead.

"James I have a plan," Taylor offers in an uncertain tone. "It's risky, but it just might get us out of here alive. If you have any bright ideas to bring to the table, speak up now."

"I've got nothing but hit it 'til it stops moving, try to not die." It's better than waiting, but only barely. "You really have a plan to kill that thing?" I hope it's good.

"Your power thinks so. It gave me a [Tactics] skill for thinking of it." Her plan is simple but should work great. "I think it could work. We might actually live through this."

I've already decided to do it, but that wording sounds familiar. Really familiar. Ah. I got it! "I love your plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! Let's Do It!" I start laughing, but Taylor doesn't get it, so I reign it in quickly. "Seriously, it's a pretty good plan." But there is room for improvement. "I do have one suggestion to improve on it though."

"Spill it. I'm open to anything at this point."

If she ever meets my family, I'll have to warn her about saying things like that. "Before we do anything else I think we should switch back to [Apprentice Undead Hunter] and spend all our unsaved points on our stats." 30% boost to attack and defense could be just the thing to tip the scales in our favor. "Saved points won't do us any good if we're dead," Well, I think they won't, and I'm not willing to test it, "and the points I dropped on AGI earlier made a lot of difference."

"Hell yeah, we should do that!" It's odd hearing so much emotion from behind her faintly smiling white mask.

We don't really have time to stop and spend points carefully, but I know what I need. [+5 WIS] to start. Really should have done that earlier. 28 left. If that thing hits me I'm dead, even if I dump all my points into VIT. So putting any there now would be a waste. I guess 'fast' and 'hard' are what I need now. [+13 STR] and [+15 AGI]. My points, I'll miss you!

Taylor is already done spending her points. She leads the way as we keep running, but at least this time we have a goal. The bugs that couldn't even find room on the Legion Zombie start forming rough imitations of a human form to try and draw it off. I'm not sure if the monster can sense something off as it gets nearer them or what, but they never hold it's attention for long. Totally worth it, though. Every second counts while she frantically ties her skirt- and cloak-nets into one long rope.

A long straightaway hedged in by junk piles gives us our ambush point. "Right, James. This is where we split up. Follow the bugs to your hiding spot."

I want to say something about never splitting the party, but it's the best plan we've got. "Good luck, Taylor."

"Good luck, James. [Stealth]" she turns and sneaks away.

Voice commands are weird. Especially for that. "[Stealth]" But if it works… I find a slightly elevated hiding place by following the firefly trail. It might not be the most concealed spot, but it's a good angle for the ambush. Holding perfectly still as the Legion Zombie thuds on by highlights just how much [Gamer's Mind] is affecting me. The only time I've ever been more scared was at Fugly Bob's, only two days ago. And yet, no shaking. I'm ready and in control.

A much louder impact shakes the ground as Taylor's plan moves to the next stage. Springing from cover, I see the colossus brought low, a silken rope binding its ankles. I wonder if this counts as [Entangle] or if Taylor's getting a pop-up for [Giga-Entangle] right now.

"[Finishing Strike!]" Taylor screams as she smashes its right knee with her bat. And that's the focus of the plan. No other skill we have can deal out that level of raw damage. Sure, it's a little absurd to use more than one 'finishing' attack in the same battle, but it's not against the rules.

Punching where she's hitting with her bat would probably just get me clonked, so I focus on the left knee. Going unarmed lets me fire of more attacks per second, but calling out a [Finishing Strike] for every hit makes more use my new agility than I'd considered. Still, the beast's HP is falling at a respectable rate.

It doesn't last. The Legion Zombie doesn't even try to rise, it just snatches at Taylor.

"Retreat!" she screams, barely dodging. Or is that [Dodging]? Either way, she takes off, chased by the creature. It's amazing how fast it can pull itself along without rising. Scrambling away as fast as she can, Taylor's running out of space.

Dodging is one thing. Running away is another. And it's after her, not me. Hammering away at its legs isn't doing enough to draw aggro. The Legion Zombie reaches out, hand grasping around Taylor's form.

[Jeet Kune Do] draws my attention to a point on the monstrosity's ribs. "[Finishing Strike!]" Its hand twitches shut just short of my panicked friend. And it turns.

Goodie. I've got it's attention. Why did I want it again? Run away!

Taylor takes advantage of the opening to attack it from the rear. And that's the turning point. A little trial and error gives us a good rhythm, holding the enormous zombie's attention and running in turns. It still takes a good quarter of an hour to bring it down to a mere sliver of health.

A thought strikes me during my turn running. …you know, boss monsters usually drop awesome loot… and luck can give us a little extra edge on that… "[Inventory]. [Golden Scarab Augment]." The second command is superfluous, but just feels right. The weight from my helmet lessens and shifts as the [Hunter Beetle Augment] switches away. I try to ignore the fact that I'm suddenly the shiniest combatant present.

Call it a impulse brought on by the wardrobe change, but I turn early and charge the Legion Zombie, catching it by surprise. Both fists take it in the eye together as I trigger the last two [Finishing Strikes] I can afford. It's not enough. I barely backpedal fast enough to avoid flashing teeth. A bite. It tried to bite me!

As I freeze from sheer audacity of it, the humongous monster finally shudders and dies. I'm still staring at the dissolving body when I register a strong impact to my chest. Before I can panic, I feel Taylor's arms wrap around me and it finally sinks in.

 **We won.**

* * *

 **Still updating the character sheet, but I can't wait to post.  
**

James Barron

Apprentice Undead Hunter

Level 14

HP: 915/1085

MP: 6/2570

Attributes:

Str: 26

Agi: 38

Vit: 19

Int: 39

Wis: 15

Luck: 5

Unspent Points: 15

Skills:

 **A Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl MAX**

Grants the user a body like a game character.

Health and general soundness of body are reflected as HP.

Powers and special efforts use MP.

Sleeping restores all HP/MP and relieves all status effects.

 **A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl MAX**

Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.

Allows peaceful state of mind.

Immunity to psychological status effects.

 **Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Lvl 6**

Allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

10% increase in attack damage with blunt weapons.

5% increase in attack speed with blunt weapons.

 **Chinese (Passive) Lvl 1**

Allows the user to read, write, speak, and understand Mandarin, Cantonese, and many other sub-dialects.

At this level, the user has a pre-schooler's comprehension and will suffer misunderstandings between the various dialects.

 **Craft (Active) Lvl 1**

A skill to make something.

Crafted objects become better as mastery level rises.

Chance to fail when crafting: 50%

 **Detect Enemies (Passive) Lvl 1**

A skill to detect hidden enemies.

1% increase in chance of spotting a hidden enemy.

 **Dodge (Sustained) Lvl 7 / 100 MP per minute**

A dedicated action to avoid an attack.

+70% to AGI while dodging.

 **Finishing Blow (Active) Lvl 5**

Allows the user to strike an incapacitated target for bonus damage.

125% increase in critical rate.

500% increase in attack damage.

Can only be used on prone opponents.

 **Gambling (Passive) Lvl 1**

Knowledge of games of chance and stratagems for success. +1% LUK

 _Lucky in cards..._

 **Grounding Strike (Active) Lvl 3 / 20 MP**

Knocks the target out of the air. 45% increase in attack damage per foot to ground.

 _...and hard!_

 **ID Create (Active) Lvl 2**

Used to create instant dungeons.

Stronger instant dungeons can be created according to level.

Dungeons available:

Empty

Zombie

 **ID Escape (Active) Lvl 2**

Used to exit instant dungeons.

Higher levels can be used to escape more powerful barriers.

 **Jeet Kune Do (Passive) Lvl 8**

A hybrid martial art with a focus on real-world combat and interrupting the opponent's attacks.

Passively increases speed and damage of unarmed attacks by 80%

Passively grants an 8% chance to disrupt the opponent's next attack within a second on a successful hit.

 _When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!_

 **Knife Mastery (Passive) Lvl 6**

Knife Throwing (Passive) Lvl 1

Light Armor Mastery (Passive) Lvl 5

Observe (Active) Lvl 7

Physical Endurance (Passive) Lvl 5

Power Strike (Active) Lvl 11

Rising Strike (Active) Lvl 1

Singing (Passive) Lvl 1

Sense Danger (Passive) Lvl 5

 **Stealth (Passive) Lvl 3**

No established PRT rating


	19. Cutscene 2b - Fortuna

Cutscene 2.b (Contessa)

My name is Contessa. An accident worlds away from here robbed a fell godling of Her **Foresight** and granted it to me. As Her tainted presence killed and warped my friends and family, everyone I'd ever known, and ripped holes between the very worlds, I attacked Her with a mere shard of metal pretending to be a knife. As I was about to end the twisted deity's foul existence, Her dark magic sealed a fraction of the **Sight** from me - the fraction that allowed me to see Her and Her only weakness.

Still, I was able to guide the hand of another to reduce Her to something between alive and dead with the memory of the one moment I knew when and where to strike Her. Even with Her threat ended, the instant of unfettered clarity before She shackled me had shown me another threat. This monstrous divinity was not alone. She had a mate. I had only ended Her threat. Not His.

The hand I guided offered to guide me as my visions, my **Path** , guides her in return. Between the two of us, we have raised an army empowered by strength stolen from Her voluminous corpse. We call ourselves Cauldron. Ever we refine our methods, increasing the survivability of our potions, and the sheer power granted to our tools.

I have walked a strange and **bloody Path**. Each step is only shown to me as the time comes, but my **Path** has never failed me, so I refuse to fail it. A marble dropped here. A faucet repaired there. An infant sundered in his mother's arms. I need not know why, only that my **Path** is bringing me one step closer to His death.

My **Path** is long. It has been nearly twenty years since I began this **Path**. Any doubts I ever may have had in my **Path** have now been washed away by the flood of proof it has given me. And the **torrents of blood** I have shed following it. There is no leaving my **Path** now.

Sometimes there are hours between steps, when I can pursue my own amusements. Sometimes the **Path** itself guides me to rest. And sometimes the **Path** occupies my every moment, keeping me active for days on end.

This **Path** has changed under my feet at times. For all the power of my **Path** , humans are chaotic. Sometimes, I must visit the same small place, a room or a yard or a park, insignificant in the greater world, three or four times. I can only assume that the petty humans have resisted the guidance of my **Path**. Sometimes, the number of steps left in the **Path** changes, and I know not why. Once, the number of steps fluctuated wildly for hours, rising and falling by the thousands and tens of thousands hundreds of times in a matter of seconds. The number settled, only slightly higher than before, but **the new steps burned bright in my mind**. Something was **different** about those steps. They were not to come due soon, but I was more aware of their coming than even the step just past the one I was on.

One day, my **Path** led me to steal a boy's pornography, water a petunia, and push a rather large man in front of a bus. And then the **pivotal steps** finally came. I purchased a newspaper and stood by a dumpster waiting for the next of these troubling few steps. The newspaper was sharply thrust between the spokes of a passing bicycle, throwing the youth on it several feet before he landed on his arm, skidded a few more feet, and collapsed. The next **step** brought my only true treasure into my hand. **God-slayer** , the only memento I have my homeworld, my birth-family. The shard-blade my mother had gifted me with, the primitive knife which slew Her. I **knew the next step even before the Path told me**. While the boy was insensate, I was to end him in the same way I was to end Her. **The Pivotal Step Burned In My Mind.** Take the primitive tool of my homeworld, and **thrust it into the base of his skull**. The clarity of **this one vital step** has only been matched by the potency of the **Vision** I had as a child, before She crippled me in Her last minute.

 **Do it. Kill him.**

 _Don't. Embrace Life._

Not a **step** , but… a _Choice_? The boy groaned, and shifted. There was no time to wait. I lifted my hand, knife at the ready. This boy, this child, had plagued me for… exactly sixteen years, since just over two years since our pawns formed the Protectorate, weighing unnaturally on my **Path**. It was time to end the aberration. **Just a little more blood on my Path.**

Maybe it was the reminder of being a child myself, and maybe it was the _Choice_. But for the first time in nearly two decades, I hesitated. And thus my _Choice_ was made. The **Path of Blood** I had walked for so long _shattered_.

My eyes were opened to the monster I had become, the monsters I had surrounded myself with, the monsters we had made and protected. I fled before the boy could see me, freely crying for the first time since my **Path** began. I needed to know how to fix it. _And the Path of Life grew before me, showed me how to correct the damage I had done, and how the world could still be saved._

This _new Path_ confounded me. I knew where my **first Path** came from, but this _Path_... As if in response to the question, I was _guided_ to an old forest in the wilderness. For three days I _lived_ from the land, eating and drinking from the natural bounty before me. Then I was led to an _ancient tree_ and rested beneath it.

My _dreams_ took me back to my old life. I'd been a girl among a poor and ignorant people. We had gods, none of whom I held to. The men had many: the Warrior God, the Storm God, the Forge God, and others. Women had few. The Hearth Goddess and the Lust Goddess, both minor. There was only one true _Goddess_ for women - the Mother Goddess. _She-Who-Is-The-World_ , Goddess of _Life and Renewal_. I had been blind. The technological marvels of the world I lived in now made my past life look crude and ignorant. I'd accepted 'aliens' and 'entities' over 'gods' and 'magic'. And now I knew the truth was so much more than that. I'd fought a demon with its own power, but tainted myself. It was time to embrace life. _She-Who-Is-The-World has called me._

Since then, I have spent every day _repairing the damage_ I caused while following the **tainted Path** She gave me. _She-Who-Is-The-World_ has given me a _new Path_ , and the **blood of the innocent** has never stained _this Path_ , and I cannot believe it ever will. And yet, I just know that _this Path_ will still lead to His demise.

 _My Path is clearer than ever before_ , and now I can feel how much longer _I will walk it_ , but it is still long, strange, and chaotic. Thousands of steps remain, but _each step is a delight_ , instead of a burden. I still perform the most inane tasks with no understanding of why I do, but now they _encourage life_ , rather than death. Blunt a blade, push an injured woman into a freezing creek, scratch the inside of a weapon's barrel. And _one particular step_ seems to keep recurring, like a dance with a stubborn partner. Enter a girl's room, and tamper with a coded notebook. I have no idea what the effect is supposed to be, but whatever it is, I hope she accepts the guidance soon. I am... uncomfortable being so close to where I _was given my True Path_.

But for all the _good_ I am doing now, for all that I have _put aside the monster_ I was, I know there is _more to do_ , and no redemption for one such as I, soaked in **blood from a Demon's Path**. _I will perform my duties. I will save the world. I will destroy the evil I helped create._

My name is Fortuna. There are 5,023 _steps_ , or 2 years 2 months and 16 days left until _the world is safe_. On that last day, the last step. _Cauldron will burn_ and, by my choice, I with it.

* * *

Author's Note: And that's it for the Tutorial Arc. Next is Scripted Encounters. Canttell22, thanks for being the 200th follower of Co-Op Mode. By ridiculous coincidence, my beta-reader and the author of the companion piece "A Bug in the Game" Harper Potts, is the 100th person to favorite this story. I've decided to change from "Interlude" to "Cut Scene" for this story.


	20. Scripted Encounters 3-1

Scripted Encounters 3.1

After we settled down enough to stop hugging and yelling and exchanging back-slaps, Taylor and I dismissed the wall of updates that spawned while we were celebrating. More skills and stats, three levels, and one alert that's really interesting.

 **[You've defeated the boss monster Legion Zombie.]**

 **[You've received the title {Zombie Slayer}]**

 **[Zombie Slayer]**

 **[Drops from Zombie-type enemies increase in both quantity and quality]**

 **[+10 to initial level for skills acquired from skill books dropped by Zombies]**

Zombies can drop skill books? Apparently Taylor has just finished with her alerts, as we turn to the pile of stuff dropped by the Legion Zombie together. Four rounded bottles of a red fluid just a little too bright to be blood, a leather-bound book (I wonder…), and a stack of bills lay neatly on the ground. A quick count shows we've got $420 in tens. At least that's easy to split. I hold half out to her.

"Your power created cash?" Taylor raises her hand to her mouth and fakes a cough, "Bullshit."

"So, how about we hit up Book Brothers again after school tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah," Taylor sounds just as eager as I feel. "It's a… quest." She picks up the book and looks it over.

I guess that means I should look at the bottles. No window appears the moment my hand touches the first flask, so I give it a slosh. Definitely not blood. Not thick enough. " **[Observe]** "

 **[Low Grade Recovery Potion - Rank: Normal]**

 **[A recovery potion. A low grade potion that instantly recovers 200 HP.]**

 **[Tastes like strawberries.]**

That's… awesome. I still don't know if **[First Aid]** will work on me, but this is great. Weird bullshit from my power making up for that little weakness. And I'm glad it's not cherry flavor. Ugh. The bottles join the other assorted loot from the day in my inventory.

I didn't have time to sort or count any of it earlier, but now I can see I'm up to **[33 Teeth of the Dead]** , **[15 Ribs of the Dead]** , **[7 Skin of the Dead]** , and a whopping **[51 Soul Shards]**. The blueprint we risked so much to save is for the **[Undead Shirt]** , which protects from damage and boosts VIT. It needs 5 skins, 2 ribs, and 5 teeth, so I'll probably make it later tonight or after school tomorrow. I've already got a shirt, though, so the pauldrons are a little more pressing.

"James, I think you should look at this," Taylor's holding the book out to me. There's a primitive painting of a sickly green-grey man on the cover.

 **[You've obtained the skill book {Zombie's Hide}]**

 **[A magic to grant the user skin like a zombie. 30 MP activation]**

 **[Blocks .5% of physical, electrical, cold, and acid damage.]**

 **[Reduces likelihood of infection by disease or poison by 1%]**

 **[50 Additional MP used per minute.]**

 **[Warning! {Zombie's Hide} gives the user the corpse-like skin while active.]**

 **[Would you like to learn {Zombie's Hide, Lvl 1}]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

Okay, I want this. Gotta be honest there. Especially since that title can jumpstart it to level 11. But I've already got a few levels of [Physical Resistance] and Taylor's just squishy. "You should take it. I've already got some damage resistance."

"I have my bugs for **[Combat Mapping]** and **[Dodge]**. You're more our Brute; you should take the book."

"The Legion Zombie also dropped HP recovery potions. They might not even work for anyone but me. And it was your plan that took it down. You should take the book."

"Oh, is that what those perfume bottles were? Doesn't matter. The potions might work for me too. Not that we should rely on them or waste on checking, but your power made this book. It belongs to you.."

Polite's polite, but I'd swear it's like she doesn't want the skill. "How about we flip for it?"

"Fine, but loser has dibs on the next book that appears out of nothing."

 **[$ 00 . 25]**

The coin flip favors Taylor, which doesn't seem to surprise her for some reason. What happens next does. "It says I can't learn any more skills yet. My **INT** is too low."

I can't be sure, but it sounds like… "Does it look like you've got as many skills as your **INT** score?"

" **[Status Window]** " Taylor's fingers dance across screens only she can see. "Huh, both **[Cryptography]** and **[Computer Programming]** claim to give me **[+1 INT]** , but my intelligence is showing as 33 + 1." Maybe they don't stack? "And as for skills… Look's like you're right. I have thirty-three skills." She looks at me expectantly, then sighs. "You aren't going to just take the book now, are you? Fine. One point to **INT**. Just enough to check."

Points are great, and saving them for the right time is important, but skills are vital. For the first time, I'm almost glad I didn't get half a dozen extra skills with my power. Almost. Taylor's **[Invertebrate Control]** and **[Multitasking]** are awesome. And I would not say no to an energy blast power of any kind.

I've only seen it a few times now, but I'll probably never get tired of watching a skill book in action. Lights, sparks, wind, boing. Boing? The book reforms in Taylor's hands.

"What? Translation error?" Taylor sounds just as confused as I feel. "It says that since I don't have **[Gamer's Mind]** , it can't teach me skills in a language I don't know." She flips through the book, glancing over each page. "What the…"

"Do you mind?" It only takes one page to see what's wrong. There's no language on earth like this. I'd say it's almost like diagonal cuneiform, but I think the various colors matter. And some of the letters… bend, almost like they're peeling off the page. Frankly, it hurts my eyes to look at it too long. "I don't think we're going to find a book that teaches this language. We could hire a..."

"No. We're not finding a linguist to spend years figuring out the language just so I can learn the skill. Go ahead and learn it now."

"Do I still get first dibs on the next book?" I joke as I switch to **[Zombie Slayer]** before pushing **[Yes]**.

If I thought learning **[Chinese]** or **[Jeet Kune Do]** was something, this is something _else_. There's a whole new… it's not a language. It's words, yes, but it's impossible motions, and unseeable colors, and _scents that can't exist_. And even more importantly, it's math that simultaneously agrees with and contradicts everything I've ever learned. It's… it's… it's too…

And suddenly it's all gone, all but one simple equation/phrase. " **[Zombie's Hide]** " My **MP** starts dropping even as I feel my skin thicken under my armor. I hop a few times and try a few punches to get a feel for it. It's almost like my skin has become a soft, pliable leather. Eugh. I'll use it in combat, but it feels way too weird to run constantly. It's still incredible. It's like no other power I've used. I release the effect. "That feels weird."

Taylor scans me from head to toe. "Well, you don't look any different. Whatever it does it subtle. That's good."

"It's off now. But yeah, doesn't seem to make me look different."

"James, what time is it?"

Huh. It _has_ been awhile since the sun set… I check my watch. "Shit. It's almost midnight."

"Shit. I'm going to be in for it," complains Taylor.

"You and me both." While my parents might not have noticed, it'd be too much to hope that Andy didn't. Maybe if I get home before one. And have a good story. " **[ID Escape]**!"

The fragmenting sky effect is less impressive under the stars, but it's still worth taking a moment to enjoy. A shard of black falls away from the low-hanging half-moon, brightening the night.

 **[ID Escape's level goes up by one!]**

I idly comment on the boost as I swap to my civilian gear. The sudden chill of night air on my face is unbelievably refreshing. Huh, I guess I do still sweat some. Is that a good or a bad thing?

"I'm going to go swap out my costume." Taylor disappears around a corner again, leaving me to my thoughts.

...I hate when games make you just wait around for a few minutes. Final Fantasy V Mimic fight, jails in both Chrono Trigger and Fable, I couldn't even bring myself to finish so many others… Reviewing my character sheet barely occupies me for half a minute. My **AGI** is only one point lower than my **INT**. It's weird. I've always identified myself by my intelligence, and now I'm almost as bendy as bright. If I can't find a way to grind **INT** soon…

Taylor finally comes back, but she's still in her Lady Bug costume. "Did you decide to not change?" To be fair, we would be less likely to get mugged or anything if we head home in our cape clothes.

"No. Keep your voice down," she shushes me, "and I think you're going to want to put your costume back on. Someone - make that at least five someones - are sweeping the Ship's Graveyard."

There's nothing around here worth looking for. We're the most exciting thing to happen here in- oh. "You think they're looking for us?"

"How would I know?" She gives a mild shrug. "I think they're a gang. Can't tell which one, but there is one group of two and one group of three. They're armed and have their weapons out. Only one gun, but they all have knives, and one has a bottle. I think it might be a Molotov cocktail. Also by armed, I don't just mean they're carrying weapons. They have them out and ready. They're also prowling. They might not be looking for us, but they seem to be searching for someone or something."

I am so glad I don't have to change the mundane way. If I had to find privacy and take three or four minutes every time I need to swap outfits, I'd never get anything done. " **[Inventory]**. Can you guide us around them?" We really don't have the time to be skulking about. On the subject of skulking, "And do you really think sparkly gold armor is best for stealth?"

"That's what the black side of my cape was supposed to be for," Taylor protests. Without the cloak, her outfit really doesn't carry the 'bug' part of her theme. Maybe we should carry some rope in the future, for stuff like that. "I'll deal. They're spread out far enough apart we should be able to get through. Plus we can always escape into one of your illusion barriers. Unless…"

Huh. We could just vanish right before they see us, wait for them to wander by. Actually, when we entered that last illusion barrier we were on the boat. Now we're on the beach. If I ever get a **[Running]** skill or something similar, I could probably fake teleportation fairly effectively. "Unless what?"

"Unless the reason they're looking for us is that someone has a power that detects when we're opening up pocket dimensions."

And _that's_ a terrifying thought. "It's possible, but maybe they just come out at night to patrol or maybe there's a turf war going on." I hope. "Who knows."

"Give me a moment. I want to try something. Maybe I can find out." Whatever she's doing, it causes her to freeze up and almost fold in on herself. "Nope. That's not working." Her tone betrays some pretty serious pain.

"Are you okay? You sound funny." Okay, I'm not mister tact, but I am concerned.

She waves me off, "I'm fine. I tried to eavesdrop on them through my bugs. I've got this **[Sense Mapping]** skill that should let me listen and see through my bugs, but I guess I need to work on leveling it some more." Even thinking about looking through compound eyes sounds painful to me. With the number of bugs I've seen Taylor throw around… ouch. "The group of three is heading this way. Would you mind storing my backpack?"

My inventory is still open from changing a moment ago, so it only take a moment. "Of course, I'll store it. Good idea."

"Okay, let's go. **[Stealth]**."

That's so weird. "I'm getting used to the other vocalizations, but… **[Stealth]**." How counter-intuitive is that? "Oh well, if it works…" I switch to **[Novice Hero]** to get the most from it.

"Most of the other skills seem to work better when called out."

Creeping around the two groups of punks isn't too hard. It's the other groups Taylor notices entering her range that make it difficult. We have to stray way off to the west to get a little space. On the plus side, earned another level of **[Stealth]**. On the downside…

"James, either they're herding us somewhere or they're all heading to the same place."

Which we're probably getting near at this rate. "So, what do you want to do? We're planning to be heroes, and we're in costume. Sounds like the kind of thing we should check out." We've got a crowd of punks practically gift-wrapped. I'm not really sure what's the average level for minions, but most adults I see are in the 10-14 range. I'm not exactly confident I can hold my own, but with Taylor on crowd control… "I'm not going to get in more trouble for getting home at one o'clock instead of twelve thirty."

"Your costume isn't ready," she protests. My costume isn't really that important, though. "If they just had knives that would be one thing. Too many of them have guns. One of them has something I'm pretty sure is a submachine gun." First target, I'm not leaving that in play if this turns into a fight. "Your armor won't stop bullets."

I never planned on it. "It doesn't need to. I've got **[Physical Resistance]** and can stack it with **[Zombie's Hide]**." 12.5%, one eighth reduction in physical damage total while I've got the MP to keep going at full force. Not even close to bulletproof, but it's a start. "Add in all the **HP** that I picked up leveling, and you're squishier than I am now. I regenerate. You don't." I'm not exactly eager to be the tank of our team, but I'm the best option we've got for now.

"Fine." There's a wide array of tones women say that word with. This one says she agrees, but isn't remotely happy about it. "You're right. If they're hunting us, we really need to know that. If it's something else, it's our duty as heroes to find out what."

"Good. So what's the plan?" Okay, less nodding while wearing the **[Stag Beetle Augment]**. My head's all top-heavy. Feels weird, like I'm a bobble-head or something.

She has a plan. We drag a pile of bugs into a zombie-free illusion barrier and have them set up Taylor's skirt-net-rope so we can climb up to the roof. Opening the barrier gives me a level of **[ID Create]**. We switch back to reality once we've got a good vantage point. As we wait, Taylor wraps the rope around her waist for easy access. Thankfully, it's only a moment before she finds what she was looking for.

"They're passing us by, so good news: they're not after us." Taylor leans forward a little. I shift to be ready to snag her belt if she goes too far out. "And, it looks like they're ABB."

Let's see, we've moved west into the Docks. "That's not really a surprise. We're in their territory now. So now I open us another empty illusion barrier, we climb down the fire escape and follow them?"

"Yes, that's the plan. We're just gathering intel," she reminds me. "Be ready to open up an illusion barrier. If they spot us, we run. When we fight, I want it to be on our terms."

Well, I gotta agree with that. Following them is easier than avoiding them was, but still enough to earn another **[+1 Stealth]**. The streets are mostly empty at this time of night, aside from hookers and insensate winos. With every step we take, Taylor's swarm grows just a little.

"This way." She pulls me into one of those super-narrow alleys that a tallish man could climb just by bracing his legs on both walls at once. Ooh! There's a cat and some kittens! Before I can get too distracted, she speaks up again. "I'm staying back here. See if you can spot Lung or Oni Lee with **[Observe]** , but be careful."

I flash her a thumbs up and offer a silent prayer of thanks that my helmet is hiding just how sick I must look. Did she really have to remind me who I might be facing here? Oni Lee is a teleporter who leaves a clone behind for a few seconds. Just enough to get infinite uses out of the same grenade, acting as a one-man army of suicide bombers. Lung is the leader of the Azn Bad Boyz. Even without figuring in his powers, Lung managed to form a pan-Asian gang. Considering how racist Asians can be against each other, the man must have godlike charisma. And his powers are bullshit. He turns into a dragon. Over time, ramping up the longer a fight goes on, but still. He's soloed an Endbringer, and no one is really sure if he was at full power even then.

There's a decent horde of Asians in red and green all crowded around, names and levels floating above their heads. If it weren't for picking up **[Chinese]** earlier, I'd be completely confused by several of these names. It looks like they're ranging from level 12-16. A little stronger than I'd be happy with, but not enough to have me running for cover. I'm not sure what triggers it, but they all turn at once and face a newcomer.

 **[Lung]**

 **[Level ?]**

 **[The Dragon of Kyushu]**

Fuck. Question mark levels are bad. Okay, the Legion Zombie was level 34, and I could see that back at level 11. Twenty-three levels difference, safe to assume at least a 25 level zone I can identify at a glance. So, at least level 40. Nope. Not fighting that. Not without a damn good reason. I whisper a quiet " **[Observe]** " but don't learn anything new.

I wasn't really listening when I was reading the screen, but I tune make in just in time to hear, "...the children, just shoot. Doesn't matter your aim, just shoot. You see one lying on the ground? Shoot the little bitch twice more to be sure. We give them no chances to be clever or lucky, understand?"

My temper has always been… binary. Either nothing ever phases me, or just about anything has me seeing red. Now? I'm seeing red. But I'm also still in control. I'm so mad I want to rip his fucking pedocidal head off. But I know better than to charge head first into a crowd of enemies with a leader of uncertain level.

 **[New Quest Alert: Save the Kids!]**

 **[Prevent Lung and the ABB from achieving their dark goal tonight]**

 **[Reward: 5000 XP, Increased Reputation with ?]**

 **[Failure: Injury, death, and/or loss of general reputation]**

 **[Bonus Goals: Save the kids without assistance]**

 **[Bonus Reward: 5000 XP]**

 **[Accept?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

This counts as a good reason, right? I absently push the [Yes] button as I give myself over to the rage. Fuck this bastard. A wordless roar tears from my throat as I launch myself towards the crowd.


	21. Special 4: Thanksgiving

Holiday Special #4: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for family. For some, family is defined by chance of birth. The whole New Wave movement was one big family, eight parahumans bound by blood and marriage. For others, family is defined by choice. Vista, Kid Win, and Clockblocker, for instance, were far closer to each other than their relatives. And some… have no choice. Case 53s have no recollection of who they've left behind. But some of them make the best of it.

Faultline's Crew was a family. Newter was the horny teen cousin with some bad habits and a string of druggie girlfriends. Elle was the sweet, talented, damaged niece everyone wanted to protect. Spitfire was like her overprotective big sister. Gregor was the Zen uncle, kind and insightful, and underappreciated by those outside the family. As his girlfriend, Shamrock was like a new aunt: no one was sure if she was really as cool as she seemed or if she was just trying hard to impress Gregor's family. And Faultline was the clear matriarch of the family, mother and guardian to them all.

It really said a lot about the kinds of bonds that had been formed over the last few months that Lady Bug and Beetle Knight were invited to the Palaquin for Thanksgiving Day. Taylor's much-celebrated **[Cooking]** skill produced the finest green beans, mashed potatoes, and homemade cranberry sauce Brockton Bay, if not all of Massachusetts, had ever seen. While not as well-known, James' significant **[Baking]** experience allowed him to bring several sublime pies: pumpkin, pecan, and not-derby. And rolls. Can't have Thanksgiving without rolls.

The bird itself was put together by the Crew. Gregor handled basting, professing his affinity for fluid concoctions. Shamrock provided stuffing she claimed 'just fell together'. Spitfire handled the roasting in her own style. Faultline herself oversaw the whole operation. Labyrinth and especially Newter had the most important job of all - staying the hell away from the food prep.

All-in-all, the dinner came out beautifully. The Palaquin, empty of patrons for the holiday, provided a surprisingly dignified setting. The usual cheap dishes used by potentially unruly guests were replaced by Faultline's private set: elegant, unbreakable Tinker-tech porcelain plates and tableware.

The thanks were trite and highly ritualized. While everyone there had much to be thankful for, some wounds are just too fresh. They all knew what was left unsaid.

"Alright, enough of that!" Newter held out an orange hand. "Pass the fucking rolls!"

As the dishes were passed around the table, James finally noticed that something was off. Greg, Spitfire, Shamrock, Faultline, and even the mostly lucid Elle were wearing rubber gloves. As he tried to puzzle out the meaning of it, he felt an inquisitive hand slid under his shirt.

"Hey, Jam- Oops!" The half-masks they wore for this occasion did nothing to hide the dopey grin on Taylor's face as she giggled. "Did I eva shay jus' how rip'd yer gitn?"

 **[New Quest Alert: Dinner with the Crew]**

 **[Avoid handling any dishes Newter has touched]**

 **[Reward: 150,000 XP, Increased Reputation with Faultline's Crew]**

 **[Failure: Loss of Reputation with Faultline's Crew, wicked drug trip]**

 **[Bonus Goal: Protect your virtue]**

 **[Bonus Reward: Increased Reputation with Taylor Hebert]**


	22. Scripted Encounters 3-2

Scripted Encounters 3.2

Charging a crowd of something like thirty people, many of whom have firearms, is idiotic. Especially if you don't let your partner know what you're doing. Thankfully, Taylor's **[Combat Mapping]** lets her know the moment I lunge forward and act accordingly. Still stupid, though. I should think more before I go for the XP when losing doesn't just involve reloading.

Several guns are aimed at me almost immediately, even as a swarm of insects floods the alley. Shit. I was kinda hoping the yell would at least startle a few. Oh, look, that one isn't lined up right. Yay for screaming like a moron. A whispered **[Zombie's Hide]** probably does significantly more to keep me alive.

Many, maybe even most, of the guns misfire. Taylor most have done something with her bugs. I know my **LUK** stat isn't good enough to have caused that. One gun practically explodes in one thug's hands. Given the way he screams, clutching his ruined hand, I don't think he'll be a threat. But for all the misfires and a decent number of misses due to insect-based 'smoke' screen, I can't help but take some hits.

 **[-87 HP]** A burning pain shoots through my side, just past the edge of my half-assed chestplate.

 **[Danger!]**

 **[-17 HP]** My tin vambrace deflects a glancing blow, but takes a nasty gouge in the process.

 **[-72 HP] [-71 HP] [-71 HP]** Three shots to the chest are barely slowed by the thin metal sheet strapped to my torso.

 **[-86 HP]** Bone grates against red-hot metal for a moment in my right shoulder, locking it in place before **[Gamer's Body]** erases the bullet and seals the wound.

 **[-16 HP]** ...that was right between the eyes. Oh God, that was right between my fucking eyes! If it weren't for my helmet…

Lung blasts twin torrents of flames into the air, roasting thousands of Taylor's insects right over his troops' heads as I reach my first foe. Two quick kicks to his shins and one to his left knee set him up for a punch, he collapses, his knee reversed. Well. That was… something. I really thought it'd take more than that. Oddly enough, I earn a level of **[Chinese]** from hearing his moaned cursing.

 **[18 XP]**

 **[You've gained 1 level.]**

 **[Fickle fortune has favored you, your LUK has increased by 1.]**

 **[Your reputation with the Azn Bad Boys has decreased!]** is displayed on dozens of windows that flash into existence and fade quickly. As I swipe away the last few windows to hurry it up, a screaming Asian soars through the air and falls bonelessly at Lung's feet. Probably Taylor's **[Rising Strike]**. That may be a little overpowered against normal humans...

 **[38 XP]**

 **[Reputation with the Azn Bad Boys has changed from 'Unfriendly' to 'Hostile'.]**

...It's not like I was expecting them to _not_ hate us after this, but it's a little disheartening to see it stated so bluntly. At least they stopped shooting once I got into melee range.

The lower level gangsters between Lung and I thin out as he begins striding towards me. He started out taller than me, but I think he's grown a little. And he's got spirals of fire orbiting each arm. Why did I think this was a good idea? I'm not sure if the few punks I punch out of the way are just trying to clear the way for their boss, or if they're really not that tough, but even the more stubborn thugs only take two or three hits. A number are attempting to escape the swarming insects by rolling on the ground to crush them. They just get kicked out from underfoot.

A particularly skinny ABBer with a jian, a Chinese straight sword, seems like the last man between me and the growing dragon-man. A series of rapid thrusts has me backpedalling to avoid getting skewered. **[-43 HP]** is lost as he stabs through my left bicep. But he over-extended to make that strike. The rapid impact of my fist on his face doesn't do much to alleviate the pain in my arm, but the unnecessary stomp to his groin as I yank the sword back out **[-16 HP]** makes me feel better about the whole mess. As does the **[38 XP]**.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" As two bursts of flame race towards me, I catch a glimpse of Lung's mask, the dancing light lending an aspect of rage to the fixed metal face. **[Danger!]** I barely manage to jump backwards as they slam into my chest. **[-450 HP] [-450 HP]** flashes across my vision as I sailed back from the burning Asian man-giant. To add insult to injury (and more injury, because why not?), I spin wildly through the air and can't adjust to soften my landing much. **[-35 HP]**. If at all. I immediately try to bleed off any extra momentum, get some distance, and kill the flames licking at my tattered shirt by rolling away.

"No!" Taylor's horrified scream sounds through the alley, followed by the rush and buzz of thousands of insects.

 **[202/1190 HP]** flashes red in the upper corner of my vision as I try to focus through the pain. A weak wave of flames washes over me, mitigated by how close to the ground I am. **[-9 HP]** I need more health. Now. " **[Inventory]** " comes out as less of a command, more a harsh whisper as my throat refuses to cooperate with me. I grab a **[Low Grade Recovery Potion]** and…

... I realize I'm wearing a full-coverage helmet. Crap. How can I- Ah. I slide the potion icon onto the picture of me.

 **[+200 HP]** My stomach suddenly feels like I just chugged a bottle of chilled fruit juice. Not full, but not empty. And cold. I'm at almost 400 **HP**. It's not enough, but I'm leery of using up my potions too quickly. Also, I don't relish 'chugging' another potion so quickly. Instead, I pull up my character screen and dump all 20 stat points into **VIT** , boosting my **HP** by 100 immediately.

...my **VIT** and **INT** are tied now… grr… Still, more is better for now, so I swap to the tri-horned **[Atlas Beetle Augment]** for that last tiny boost to my health.

" **[Rising Strike!]** " My attention is drawn back to the battle by Taylor's call. While I've been otherwise occupied, Lady Bug has picked up some soot and scratches, but mostly looks unharmed. The field of battle has also mostly emptied by now. There are two unconscious gang-bangers near Lung, but everyone else is gone. Taylor swings her dented bat up between his legs, only for him to catch it in one oversized, clawed hand.

He's clearly changed over the course of our battle. The pants he'd worn at the beginning of the battle have burned down to mere rags and his previously bare torso is breaking out in silver scales. The scorched remnants of the swarm clung to his skin at every point not covered by the scales. Flames danced along his body, forming a barrier against further insect attackers. A twist of his hand disarmed Taylor. "My turn."

No eight-foot tall hulking dragonman should move so fast. Taylor barely manages to avoid a punch, only for that to have been a feint. Instead, his knee powerfully slams into her stomach, launching her a dozen or so feet before she lands and rolls unsteadily to her feet. I'm back on my feet as well and taking a more measured approach as I move to join her.

"Is the best you can do?" Taylor taunts the dragon, gesturing for him to approach. 'Come-at-me-bro' isn't the usual approach to facing a world-famous pyrokinetic Brute, but she's making a good showing of it.

Lung takes the bait. "Kill you!" 400 or so pounds of screaming rage dragon charging us is an experience I don't care to repeat, and he's not even aiming for me. At first. Taylor ducks his enraged strike and spins with her back to him as she grabs his flaming arm. Somehow, this skinny girl throws Lung at me. Great. The 400 pound screaming rage dragon is flying at me now.

Well, it's not like he's in control, so… " **[Grounding Strike!]** " I put all my strength and weight into a powerful punch that catches him in the base of the spine. The pavement doesn't crack or anything, but his flame cloak flickers away.

Taylor immediately capitalizes on the opening by dumping every remaining insect in range on him. I take a moment too long to back away and Lung catches me with a gigantic backhand.

 **[-85 HP]**

If that's how you want to play… I snap a kick into his knee. " **[Power Strike!]** " Even at **60 MP** per strike and with **[Zombie's Hide]** draining **28** more per minute, I can afford to put everything I've got into every attack I launch. **2765 MP** maximum means I can go all out for a few minutes when I have to. Like now. The frequent **[Critical Hits!]** impact hard enough that pebbles on the ground jump from each meaty thunk, but Lung seems unharmed. To make things worse, when he hits me… **[-85 HP]**. I can't afford that kind of damage, so I focus on dodging, only hitting when I'm fairly sure I can get back out in time. Taylor joins in, bat in hand again. With her drawing some of his attention, it's a little easier to get a safe opening. It doesn't help that the tattered remains of my shirt/armor keep flopping around. **[-85 HP]** Apparently I could use some more practice judging when to strike. Ow. Careful, cautious, don't get hit again. It does seem like he's slowing down, making wilder swings, but maybe it's just wishful thinking. At this rate, two more hits… Maybe if I can get clear for a moment, one more potion could hold me over. **[-85 HP]** This clearly isn't the time to be thinking about it. I lay one more **[Power Strike]** into his ribs and jump back to buy a few precious seconds.

Before I can make use of them, Lung roars and explodes. The wall of fire **[-73 HP]** throws me back and into the wall **[-9 HP]**. Taylor is launched further, collapsing to the ground a good dozen or more feet away. As I stare in dismay at the leering monster who has taken everything I can throw at him without so much as a flinch, I watch my **HP** tick up from 4 to 5. Fuck. I'm by myself until Taylor can get back up, facing the fucking **[Dragon of Kyushu]** alone. And I can't afford to take a single hit. While I can **[Dodge]** a few swings, how can I avoid something like that blast?

As I steel myself to at least sell my life for the highest price I can claw out of him, Lung sways. Oh God, please let him… And he falls. Flat on his face. The ground shakes, but not as hard as I do. Holy…

 **[61,557 XP]**

 **[Quest Completed!]**

 **[You have gained 5000 XP]**

 **[Bonus Goal Completed!]**

 **[You have gained 5000 XP]**

 **[Your reputation with the Asian Bad Boys has decreased!]**

 **[Reputation with the Asian Bad Boys has changed from 'Hostile' to 'Hated'.]**

As all the alerts that had piled up over the course of the fight crowd my vision, the increasingly familiar feel of leveling up (several times) washes away my pains and refills my HP and MP. While I don't really need to, I indulge in a few deep, shaky breaths to calm myself as I begin dismissing windows. Looks like going balls-out increased my STR by 1 at some point. Level ups… 9 plus that 1 at the beginning of the fight… Every skill I used in the fight has gone up by at least 1, which makes sense. It seems that more danger means more experience. There are a few surprises in the clutter, though.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[By acting in a bewilderingly strange manner, {Fool's Act}, has been created.]**

 **[Fool's Act (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0% / MP 5]**

 **[Words or actions that make the enemy doubt the mental state of the user. It could possibly confuse the target.]**

 **[Has a small chance to confuse the target for 2 seconds. Willpower negates.]**

 _ **[Now you have a skill for it.]**_

Well, that's insulting. But fair.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[By surviving significant flame damage, {Elemental Resistance}, has been created.]**

 **[Elemental Resistance (Passive) Lvl 2 Exp 1.37%]**

 **[The body's durability increases and you take less damage. 4% decrease in damage from fire, ice, acid, and electrical attacks.]**

 _ **[If you can't stand the heat, don't tickle the dragon.]**_

...that probably saved my life from that last explosion...

 **[By defeating a Boss-Rank enemy, a new Illusion Barrier has been unlocked.]**

 **[{Dragon Dungeon} has been unlocked.]**

 **[Defeat dragon-type foes for fun and profit!]**

 **[You've defeated The Dragon of Kyushu.]**

 **[You've received the title {Dragon Slayer}]**

The new title looks to be just about the same as its Zombie equivalent, with the obvious substitutions. And implications. We just beat _LUNG_.

Taylor is up and checking on the shrinking supervillain now. I walk around the still-large man to work off my nerves a little.

"If you ever do anything that crazy again, I'll kill you myself!" She softens the words with a solid hug before stepping back.

I don't need to see her face to know she's pissed at me. Fair enough, that was downright stupid. There's no reloading in real life, not even with my powers. I can't help remembering seeing my **HP** at 4. A desperate sincerity fills my voice as I reply, "If I ever do something like that again, you probably won't get the chance!"

"Beetle Knight." Her voice carries a take-charge note. "Check out the two downed gang members. Use **[Observe]**. If they're bleeding out you might have to use those red bottles." She waves towards some nearby windows. The lights are on, and I think I see silhouettes in a few. "Be discreet. We've got an audience." Right. No obvious **[Inventory]** use. Got to have some secrets. "I'll secure Lung."

We beat Lung. ...what do you use to 'secure' a fucking _dragon_?! "Right. I'll go do that."

I see her start unwinding the makeshift rope from her waist as I turn to the injured thugs. They're both lightly charred, and one will probably lose an eye, but neither is in immediate danger. A brief check shows that both will also need to replace their cellphones. Damn. We should probably call this in with the Protectorate. Eh, at least one of the rubberneckers must have called someone by now. Protectorate, PRT, BBPD, as long as _someone_ secures Lung before he wakes up.

With nothing else to do for the moment, I start tearing off the broken metal remnants of my chestplate and scorched tatters of my shirt. It's more trouble than it's worth at this point to keep them on, just flapping around.

"Beetle Knight, keep your guard up. We're not alone." I freeze, fistfuls of fabric stretched between my hands.

An unfamiliar, teasing voice comes from the nearest fire escape. "Oh, don't stop on my account."

* * *

Author's Notes: I had a few possible outs in place for James (including the health potions), but half-way through the first draft Harper asked how much XP James needed to level. 5 points. So, James got really lucky, in a way that wasn't even author planning. The **LUK** boost was kinda necessary after that.

And a special "thank you" to Dxilph, 200th reader to favorite Co-Op Mode.


	23. Scripted Encounters 3-3

Scripted Encounters 3.3

I look up to see a shadowed figure climb most of the way down the fire escape ladder before skipping the last few rungs, dropping to the ground with a light 'tak' before approaching us. As soon as she gets close enough to see… Oh, sweet mother of spandex! Purple and black fabric _clings_ everywhere. And she's in the kind of shape her costume demands. Damn. Okay, eyes up. Hmm. Blonde. I think I've recovered fairly quickly, but I still meet a knowing smirk. "Are you forgetting something?"

 **["Tattletale"]**

 **[Level 28]**

 **[Know-it-all]**

 **[Relationship with "Tattletale" has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with "Tattletale" has advanced from 'Stranger' to 'Peer']**

Oh, my shirt. I finish powering through the hem and slide the whole mess off, probably blushing like crazy under my helmet. "Eh, yeah, sorry. It was kinda in the way and flapping around after Lung, and I'm rambling. I should stop." Thankfully, I stop just before I would have said something unfortunate about being uncomfortably aware of my nipples, topless in the spring air. With two girls.

"Whatever excuse you need. Not that I mind." Did… did she just elevator-eyes me? She turns to Taylor before continuing. "Why did you guys even get into a fight with Lung?"

"He was going to kill children." There's absolutely no regret or hesitation in Taylor's voice. Hope that means she doesn't blame me for dragging her into that. "We couldn't let that happen. And who are you?"

Spandex Chick, er, Tattletale's smirk doesn't shrink at all. "So you both just charged in to save the day? Or rather, _you_ ," she nods at me, "charged first and _you_ ," gesture to Taylor, "jumped in to save him. And the kids. Good work. You really saved our asses."

"Do you mean…?" Our? Lung was after her and some friends? Do her friends also wear spandex?

"And, you still haven't given us a name."

Tattletale shrugs. "Neither have you. You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Her voice brings the Mona Lisa's smile to mind - not _mocking_ , per se, but clearly amused by a secret no one else knows.

"I'm Lady Bug, and this is my partner, Beetle Knight." Her gesture towards me is probably unnecessary, given we're the only three conscious people in the alleyway. "Now who are you and your friends?"

"You can call me Tattletale." I consider using a whispered **[Observe]** to get more info, but it seems like she'd catch that. And with how little info I usually get, I probably wouldn't learn anything new, except maybe something random, like her three sizes. Hmm...

Taylor sounds a little wary. "So Tattletale, why was Lung after you, your friends, and those three beasts?" It's not easy remembering that the Taylor Hebert who can't seem to avoid her bullies is actually so aware of her surroundings.

Tattletale turns to face Taylor. "You're wondering if we're heroes or villains." Of course she's a hero. Her outfit is way too… It would be slinkier or scarier if she was a villain. "The world's a little more complicated than that. There are lots of shades of grey. Tonight, we're both fighting the ABB." Oh. Guess I was wrong on that one.

"But you're still a villain." Taylor's choking up on her bat again.

"Like I said, it's complicated. Sometimes life takes an unexpected path. Things happen that you can't take back. I'm here to stop you from making a similar mistake. You, ah, overdid it a little. Lung's dying. You beat him too fast, his regeneration isn't strong enough to get all the toxins out. He needs… your epi-pens. Both of them, and go for major veins. The jolt should be enough to save him."

"Knight, what's the status on Lung?"

Just 'Knight'? I suppose 'Beetle Knight' is a bit long to use every time. Hmm, what works for 'Lady Bug'? Definitely not using 'Bug' when I can avoid it, and 'Lady' would seem sexist at a glance… No. Focus. I need to make sure the slumbering villain isn't dying, but I'm not so sure about showing off this part of my powers. I turn to Lung and mutter the softest **[Observe]** I can manage.

 **["Lung"]**

 **[Level ?]**

 **[The Dragon of Kyushu]**

 **[The world-infamous leader of the Azn Bad Boys and only parahuman to survive fighting an Endbringer one-on-one. Controls fire and regenerates. Grows in power over the course of a fight, eventually turning into a dragon. Prefers armchairs to couches.]**

 **[Lung is currently suffering from a potent blend of insect toxins, delivered in mass quantities. Without medical help, Lung will die within minutes.]**

Well, that was a little random. Armchairs? Best to focus on the important part. "She's right. He's fading fast."

"Okay, let's do this."

Saving a villain's life under another villain's direction, after beating the first villain to death's door. Well, day one as a superhero is off to an interesting start. Taylor fishes both injectors out of her belt and passes me one. Only two major veins near the surface I can think of, jugular and femoral. Saving a life or not, as long as I've got other options I'm not messing with another man's junk. Instead, I take a moment to find his pulse before jabbing the right side of his neck. Hooray for random late-night internet searches. Taylor carefully watches me, then copies my actions to hit the left jugular.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[A skill to treat minor injuries and ailments, {First Aid}, has been created.]**

 **[First Aid (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0% / MP 10]**

 **[Treats minor injuries like cuts and bruises. Can treat broken bones at higher levels.]**

 **[5% increase in recovery speed of treated injuries.]**

 **[** _ **Just because you don't bleed...**_ **]**

Taylor whispers to me over the back of the unconscious Cape's head, "Is it working?"

A second **[Observe]** shows that his regeneration is outpacing the venom by a hair, and nets me a skill-up. "Yeah, he's stable now." Thank God. Lung may be a violent asshole, but I don't need his death on my hands.

Taylor pushes herself to her feet and turns to Tattletale. "Whatever your affiliation, thank you."

"So!" Tattletale bounces on her feet, drawing my attention down. I focus back up on her face. "I'm with the Undersiders. Thanks for taking care of Lung for us." She offers a gloved hand to Taylor and she takes it, after a moment's pause. "He was coming after us tonight. We decided to take the fight to him, take it on our own terms." I do my best to hold eye contact during my turn. Wow, that's a bright green. "We found Oni Lee and half a dozen guys, but Lung and the majority of his gang never made it. Nice work."

 **[Your reputation with The Undersiders has increased!]**

 **[Reputation with The Undersiders has increased from 'Neutral' to 'Friendly'.]**

And now we're on friendly terms with a group of villains. This has been an odd night. "The credit has to go to Lady Bug here. I highly doubt my advanced strategy of 'hit him, then hit him again, harder' was half as effective as," I already said Lady Bug once, need a shorter name fast, "m'lady pumping him full of a few thousand spiders' worth of venom." It's a bit formal, but it fits.

"I'm still impressed. By both of you. Why don't you come up and meet my team?" She holds up a hand towards Lady Bug. "I know we're not usually on the same side, but tonight we are. Things work a bit different in reality than they do in the news. Consider this a one-night truce. Someday you may be glad you have a backchannel."

Taylor pauses a moment before responding, "...you'd better not be planning anything."

"I wouldn't dare!" The look of innocent shock on Tattletale's face is so obviously faked it loops back around to reassuring. "We're evasion specialists, not combat like Lung, and you beat him like a rented drum."

"Ladies first?" I gesture to the rusted ladder she'd come down. Vague thoughts of coming up behind the villainess waft through my mind, momentarily.

Taylor gives me a light shove. "Move it." I think I hear her mutter something else, but I could be- Nope, Tattletale is laughing. I don't think I want to know. My increased stats are more obvious to me when used for something mundane like climbing this ladder. I could probably do it with just my hands, but don't want to risk stepping on someone's face trying it.

The building is only a single story, so there are no zig-zagging stairs to deal with. Three new people and three monstrous quadrupeds await us on the roof. The beasts draw my attention first as the most visually threatening. **[Angelica, Level 34]** , **[Brutus, Level 32]** , and **[Judas, Level 33]** are all hulking masses of asymmetrical muscle and bone spurs, something like skinless reptilian pumas. And they're almost as big as a minivan each. Angelica might be missing an eye and an ear, but it's hard to tell with just how ugly the beasts are.

I can feel Tattletale stand beside me, her nubile form radiating heat across the three inches between my left left arm and her spandex-wrapped… shoulder. "I'll make the introductions." Lady Bug leans around my right side to get a better view as Tattletale points out each of her teammates in turn.

The first, closest person is wearing masculine street clothes (leather jacket with fur collar, sturdy blue jeans, heavy work boots) and has a cheap plastic rottweiler mask strapped to her head, more like a tiny hat than any attempt at keeping her identity secret. She's almost as masculine as her outfit, with a lantern jaw and shoulders broader than any man in my family. Still, she's… proportionate enough that I'm sure of her gender. If only just. The three creatures defer to her in what seems like an instinctive response.

 **[Rachel "Bitch" Lindt]**

 **[Level 39]**

 **[Canine Minded]**

 **[Relationship with Rachel "Bitch" Lindt has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with Rachel "Bitch" Lindt has advanced from 'Human' to 'Unfriendly']**

"You may have heard of Hellhound," Who? "but I should let you know she prefers to go by Bitch. The PRT and media prefer to keep it PG." I wonder why my power provided her full name… Guess I'll look it up later.

I'm slightly less sure of the sex of the next figure. Sure, he(?) has a rather masculine figure, with similarly broad shoulders and no apparent feminine features, but who knows what's under the thick motorcycle leathers and that helmet? Eh, I'll just think of him as male. If he didn't want to be viewed as male, padding could have been added. The skull-shaped visor on his helmet isn't the most feminine choice either. His stance speaks of confidence and some martial arts training. Probably enough to take me in a straight fight, for now.

 **["Grue"]**

 **[Level 34]**

 **[Enforcer]**

 **[Relationship with "Grue" has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with "Grue" has advanced from 'Stranger' to 'Peer']**

"Our fearless leader here is Grue." ...is that a reference to that old text adventure game? And was it Adventure or Zork?

The last one is a guy. A pretty boy, but male. I think. Too much chest exposed by his ren faire outfit to not be obvious on a girl. Probably. His mask/crown combo is kinda similar to Ta- Lady Bug's, but the lack of armor, silver color to the crown, and addition of a scepter give him a bit of a different theme.

 **["Regent"]**

 **[Level 43]**

 **[Heartbroken]**

 **[Relationship with "Regent" has increased.]**

 **[Relationship with "Regent" has increased from 'Whoever' to 'I-Know-That-Guy']**

"Last and certainly least, we have Regent."

"Least?" I barely catch myself before I say any more, like mentioning his level. Oops. But seriously, dude's the strongest one here. Or most experienced. Still not quite sure what levels mean.

"Fuck you, Tattletale." There's a laugh in the crowned boy's voice, almost like this a recurring joke. "Are we going to talk about how new girl is stealing my shtick, or are we just going to keep enjoying the scenery? Either way works for me." If I didn't know better, I'd swear his mask was leering at me. I resist the urge to reveal my inventory just to grab a shirt.

"Lady Bug. Beetle Knight. I'm sure you can figure out which one is which." Tattletale is smirking. Ag- no, she never really stopped, did she?

Grue steps forward and offers me a gloved hand. "Good show on Lung. I take it those were your bugs?" His helmet adds a touch of deep reverb to his clearly masculine voice. I wonder if mine is doing the same? I could use the extra layer of identity protection.

"No, m'lady is the insect controller. I'm... " Crap, we never figured out what exactly is safe to mention. Well, they already saw me shake off some serious hits and **[Sense Danger]** wasn't completely useless. This time. "Thinker/Brute combo. She's the Master."

"And with her wearing armor and your helmet, people will assume the other way around. Smart." I don't have it in me to correct him. If he wants to be impressed by my foresight… "Of course, you shouldn't have told me that. We'll probably be on opposite sides someday, hero." Crap. At least he sounds more amused than threatening.

"So…" Change of topic, his turn to share. "What'd you do to piss off Lung?" Okay, maybe that was a little blunt.

"We robbed the Ruby Dream casino a few days ago." Isn't that from Final- no, that's the Golden Saucer. Why does that sound familiar?

Before I can continue, Tattletale interrupts, "Protectorate hero inbound. We gotta bail. Maybe we'll see you guys again."

The four of them quickly scramble onto the three dogs. It's no surprise that the two larger Undersiders, Bitc- Rachel and Grue each take a dog to themselves while the smaller Regent and Tattletale share a steed. Lucky bastard. The whole gang disappears as the monstrous canines carry them from rooftop to rooftop. So cool. I wonder if I could do that at 100 **STR** or so.

"Well, that was… interesting." I pause for a moment to review the conversation in my mind. "I think I just made an idiot of myself in the tee-ball league of keeping your mouth shut around villains."

"Maybe there's a skillbook on witty repartee for heroes." Taylor seems a little upset.

I don't think I spilled anything _too_ sensitive, though. Maybe I can just keep the banter going until she forgets. "If there is, I bet Assault wrote it." Come to think of it, I think Mouse Protector did an instructional video on the subject...

Instead of running with the joke, Taylor's next words are alarmed. "The bugs I have on Lung are dying."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter completely kicked my ass. New characters to try to keep IC, one of whom is Tattletale. Which means every single word has to be analyzed for potential hidden meanings before putting them in her mouth. Without serious help from Harper Potts (seriously awesome, make sure to check her out here, she's writing the flipside of this "A Bug in the Game"), this whole arc would have been delayed on account of Tattletale.


	24. Scripted Encounters 3-4

Scripted Encounters 3.4

"Shit." Okay, so Lung's awake. Most likely. I mean, maybe… No. Murphy hates me. Lung's up. Round two.

"Tattletale just said there is a Protectorate hero on their way here now." Taylor sounds just as unconvinced as I feel. "If we leave, then whoever it is will face an angry Lung." She pauses for thought before continuing, "I'm staying. You could go."

Does she really think I'd leave her alone to face _that_ again? Hell, I wouldn't leave Mystery Hero to do that, and I'm far more attached to Taylor than some stranger, especially after these last… has it really only been two days? Whatever, I'm not leaving her. "If you stay, I stay."

"You don't have to."

"We're partners. I'm not leaving you to face him alone." How many bugs did it take to bring him down, and how much was brute force? Does she have enough bugs to do it again? Probably not. "So, what's the plan?" Please tell me there's a plan.

 **[Stealth]** still sounds freaking weird as a verbal command, even when she whispers it. Lady Bug creeps to the side of the roof and peers over. I'm not sure what she's seeing, but I can made out some wisps of smoke even in the dark. Great. More fire. "The plan is we wait here. If he goes home, fine." If only we could be so lucky. "I don't care. Let someone else catch him another day. I just don't want another hero to face him alone."

I want to protest. I really do. Lung is the driving force behind the ABB, the… third worst gang in Brockton Bay. He's weathered everything the heroes of our city could throw at him and walked away. But we beat him. We took down the single most dangerous parahuman in town. And yet, if we don't do it again, he walks. Again. But we… we got lucky. Taylor had thousands of venomous insects, and we don't have them with us to do it again. Damn it. Resigned, I sneak over and whisper to her, "I like this plan. Especially the part where we don't fight Lung again."

Taylor sharply turns to face me, full on. What? I wish I could see her face. Damn mask.

A large shadow shoots through the air behind Taylor, soars over us, and lands heavily behind me. Holy shit. I spin just in time to see him climb to his feet, gravel tumbling from his knees, the last few clinging a few extra seconds. ...I just had to open my mouth…

 **[** **"Lung"]**

 **[** **Level "43"]**

 **[** **The Dragon of Kyushu]**

"Flank him!" Taylor yells, dashing left.

I charge right, away from her. The quotation marks are new, so I throw out a quick **[** **Observe]**.

 **[** **The world-infamous leader of the Azn Bad Boys and only parahuman to survive fighting an Endbringer one-on-one. Controls fire and regenerates. Grows in power over the course of a fight, eventually turning into a dragon. Recently defeated by a pair of rookie heroes on their first night out.]** Heh.

 **[** **Lung is currently suffering from a potent blend of insect toxins, delivered in mass quantities. Currently at half power for the next few minutes while his regeneration focuses on the venoms.]**

Plus side, he's weakened. Minus, time limit. If we don't beat him now, we might never get a chance like this again. Gotta move.

Tiny black dots and fuzzy shadows gather from the gloom and flow into Lung's face. Eyes, nose, even ears if I'm seeing right. I really hope Taylor has something poisonous in there. Maybe it could buy us a few more minutes of half-power Lung.

"Muh… Mutherfawker!" Lung ignores me to launch two streams of fire at Lady Bug. She flings herself clear, rolling several times to take cover behind an air conditioning unit.

I take advantage of Lung's distraction to activate **[** **Zombie's Hide]** and step up off one of those little pipe chimney things. I really shouldn't try this in a real fight, but with him focused on Lady Bug, I've got a great opening, so I **[** **Power Strike]** a roundhouse into the back of his head. Not only does it actually hit, the loud 'crack' is from his head instead of my foot. **[** **Critical Hit!]** He stumbles away and blasts his own face with fire. Did I just concuss him or something? Bugs, right. Taylor's probably got gnats in his sinuses by now.

Lady Bug's golden figure jumps out from behind her cover with a yelled **[** **Rising Strike]**. My god, those just don't work on Lung. He slides right around it and hammers a powerful kick right into her diaphragm, launching her away. If I were in her position, I'd be thanking the heavens for armor. That skid looks like it has some serious road rash potential.

...she's not getting up. Lung's still roasting his face, so she must still be directing insects at him, but I've got to hold his attention. I chain as many **[** **Power Strikes]** as I can enunciate together and make an important discovery. I don't _have_ to call out every strike to pull off the technique, but it does do a bit more damage. It's a little easier to squeeze out a few extra attacks if I'm not wasting all my wind on vocalizing. I wonder how long I could have been doing this for...

When he got back up Lung was tripping over his own feet and the only target he could hit was his own face. Now? He's moving faster and more powerfully with every moment. Aim's still shit, but it's actually taking some effort to dodge now. And he's got scales again, spreading across his stomach. I need Taylor back in this fight.

" **[** **Power Strike!]** " Hey, every bit helps. And it looks like two simultaneous punches only take one shout. **[** **Critical Hits!]** Lung actually slides a few feet back, a few scales on his abs cracked by the force. And now I'm overextended. Crap. This is going to hurt.

Lung winds up for a huge slash as his claws form. I don't flinch, not even when he… flips over me, roaring in pain. Hey! Taylor got him with a **[** **Rising Strike]**! It happened! He bounces a few times but recovers almost immediately. He starts throwing fireballs _everywhere_. Wow, his aim sucks worse than Bowser. It's probably due to the flies coating his eyes. Go Taylor.

Still, quantity has a quality of its own, and I was just barely staying ahead of the frankly absurd number of flames he's launching. It is weird just how many of them aren't going anywhere near _either_ of us. What's he even aiming at? Oh, Taylor's made some **[** **Swarm Clones]**. He must be totally blind right now.

 **[** **-120 HP]** Lung's flames are hot enough that what looks like a particularly close miss still roasts me a bit. **[** **-120 HP]** Heck, there's enough of them **[** **-120 HP]** that it's impossible to avoid **[** **-119 HP]** everything. I still manage to get close enough to risk a drop-kick **[** **Power Strike]**. It's more than a bit of a gamble, and I usually wouldn't risk it, but Lung is distracted and right by the edge of the roof. He flips over the side and crashes to the ground.

Clearly, a one-story fall means nothing to the man who fought Leviathan to a draw, and he jumps back onto the roof, a stream of flames from each hand washing over both of us. **[** **-223 HP]** Nope, that's a swarm clone he hit by Taylor. And another air conditioner. I'm not sure if anyone in the building under us can hear this fight, but they'll certainly notice when the AC fails completely.

"Cockshlucker!" Lung's slurring speech will probably be funny in retrospect. "I'm going -" He gags on nothing. Well, he probably just got a swarm of bugs down his throat, but I really can't tell with this poor light. He gets revenge with a full blast to Taylor's chest.

Lady Bug comes to a halt mere inches before her momentum would have carried her off the roof. Lung's apparently not done with her though, as he stalks over to her prone form. Guess he hasn't learned his lesson about turning his back on either of us just yet. Seriously, the now seven-foot tall Yakuza-wannabe just strolls past me like I'm not worth his attention. I educate him with a low **[** **Power Strike]** kick just over his butt. He stumbles towards the edge, but recovers. Just in time for Taylor to neatly throw him into the street. ...I think I'm getting Aikido envy…

In case I wasn't already in complete awe of Lady Bug, Taylor cements her place as the supreme badass of our team by leaping off the roof and catching the rising Lung midair with a positively brutal **[** **Grounding Strike]** to the face. As his plummeting form cracks the pavement, she lands on him and **[** **Finishing Strikes]** him into lala land. Damn.

 **[** **1315 XP]**

 **[** **Your reputation with the Azn Bad Boys has decreased!]**

Before I can process just how incredibly lucky I am to fight alongside her, a massive motorcycle roars into the ally and stops with its headlights illuminating the incredible scene. Lady Bug looks fully iconic, golden armor shining as she stands atop the silver-scaled dragon-man, battered bat still laying flat against his skull. The only thing that could make this look better would be if she still had her cloak and it was still falling into place. Add a little motion to the tableau.

The rider on the motorcycle is iconic enough on his own. Dark blue, almost black power armor with some silver details, a chevron visor with exposed (and bearded) chin. The huge polearm is completely unnecessary in identifying the new arrival as Armsmaster, head of the local Protectorate. Holy shit, we're about to meet a legend! Not Legend-legend, just a legend. Still. Holy boop.

I don't quite hear what Taylor's saying down there, but it's probably not too important. What is important is getting down there and trying to make a good first impression. If we play this right, get some serious rep out of it, it'll be easier to talk Taylor into joining the Wards with me. If I've learned anything tonight, it's just how dangerous these streets can get. And how important back-up can be.

On the subject of good first impressions, I'm topless. And it seems that my pants got torched at some point. The right leg is just plain gone, and the left barely covers my knee. A quick feel check is apparently the final straw for a particularly burnt section on the back, and I'm now feeling the breeze down south. Time for a quick change.

Green tee and blue jeans is not the most cape outfit out there, but it's all I've got. I drop **[** **Zombie's Hide]** while I'm at it. Not need to waste **MP** out of combat. At least I've got this helmet instead of whatever slagged remains would be left of the bike helmet I started the day with. Still, short sleeves and gloves? If we hadn't just KOed Lung (twice!), no one would take me seriously in this.

While I'm at it, I clear out the alerts that had been piling up during the fight. **[** **+3 Jeet Kune Do]** and a notification I need more **WIS** to level it further, **[** **+2 Dodge]** , **[** **+2 Power Strike]** , **[** **+2 Elemental Resistance]** , **[** **+1 Light Armor Mastery]** , **[** **+2 Zombie's Hide]** , and **[** **+1 AGI]**. That's two stats tied with my **INT**. I'll have to do something about that soon.

Ladders are bad enough climbing. Descending? The rusty contraption rattles with every step and I stomp down hard when I try to take one extra step after I hit the ground. Lady Bug and Armsmaster are staring at me, so I jog over to spend the least amount of time possible as the center of silent attention. Seriously, it's a little creepy.

"Come join us." God bless you, Taylor. She breaks the silence and (unnecessarily) waves me over. "Armsmaster, this is Beetle Knight. He's a…" There's a slight pause. It's probably too much to hope that an experienced hero missed it. "Brute/Thinker combo."

 **[** **Your reputation with The Protectorate has increased!]**

 **[** **Reputation with The Protectorate has increased from 'Neutral' to 'Friendly'.]**

 **[** **Your relationship with Armsmaster has increased!]**

 **[** **Your relationship with Armsmaster has increased from 'Strangers' to 'Acquaintance'.]**

"Humph." He doesn't sound approving, let alone impressed. It's the shirt, isn't it? Short sleeves and gloves looks absurd.

I would question her using my cover story from earlier on a hero, but I still remember her warnings about how an intelligent organization would use my powers. I'm all for doing my fair share, but I really don't want to be the world's first personal trainer cape. Still, a little more detail is only fair. "Yeah, what she said. Basically, I'm a half-assed Uber with a little extra strength and durability." Victor would be more accurate, but I'd rather compare myself to a putz than a Nazi. Give me a bit to polish my **[Jeet Kune Do]** and I bet I could take either of them. "I acquire skills a little faster than normal through training."

"And what skills have you acquired?" Why does he sound… dismissive?

Let's see, "A bit of Jeet Kune Do, some tricks with blunt weapons, and a few other minor skills." That about covers it.

"Knight, would you check on Lung?" Taylor gives me the perfect excuse to avoid more awkward questions. Meeting one of my heroes shouldn't be this… cagey.

"Yes, m'lady." The salute was probably over-the-top, but seriously. Armsmaster.

Tinkers and Thinkers are an interesting case. Without any flashier powers to confirm things, you could almost think they're just exceptionally perceptive or inventive baseline humans. As a kid, I wanted to grow up to invent the kind of gadgets Armsmaster fills his gear with. Discovering that mundane technology won't catch up with Tinkertech for centuries, if ever, was worse than getting confirmation that Santa isn't real. (Suggesting that Santa could be real, with adequate Tinkertech, didn't make that conversation any better.)

"Do you have any medical skills?" And he's not done with me. I don't like this feeling, like I've disappointed a parent by breaking a vase or something, but so much worse because I actually care what freaking _Armsmaster_ thinks of me.

At least this time I've got something. "Why, yes I do. Just a bit of **[** **First Aid]** , but enough to tell if he's breathing and check his heart rate." Booyah.

As I check on Lung (he's down, but not dying this time), I hear Taylor ask about how long it'll take for the PRT to pick up the big lug. A firefly flashes on an old-looking book bound in tarnished silver scales. Sweet!

 **[You've obtained the skill book {Dragon's Scales}]**

 **[A magic to grant the user scales like a dragon. 30 MP activation]**

 **[Blocks 1% of physical damage.]**

 **[Blocks .5% of fire damage.]**

 **[50 Additional MP used per minute.]**

 **[Warning! Can not be used simultaneously with {Zombie's Hide} or other skin transformations until certain conditions are met.]**

 **[Would you like to learn {Dragon's Scales, Lvl 1}]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

Want. So much want. A little 'wish-could-give-to-Taylor', but mostly want. I'll have to equip [ **Dragon Slayer]** first to get the most from it, and I don't think pulling the whole lightshow five seconds after _not_ telling Armsmaster about that specific power would go over well. I discreetly slide the book and around half a dozen scales into my inventory while pretending to check Lung's pulse. I stand and turn to the other two heroes.

What the fuck! Armsmaster has his halberd aimed at me! No, wait, at Lung. "Hey, no problem." I have no idea what I just missed, but I'm not looking to fight a… what is it? Tinker 7 or 8? I barely even realize when my hands lift into surrendering position.

"Sedate? I'm not sure that's-" Taylor trails off as a puff of carbon dioxide vapor pops out of the weapon.

 **[-5 HP]**

"OW!" There's a sudden pain in my throat, just under my helmet. Are we under attack? I grab my neck, half to check what happened, half to hide that I'm not visibly injured. I find a small hard cylinder lodged there. A quick tug, "Ow?" and I'm inspecting a green-tufted dart.

 **[You have been poisoned!]**

 **[Without an antidote, you will lose consciousness in 3... 2 seconds.]**

"Ooh?" That doesn't… "I feel…" Help.


	25. Cutscene 3a - Colin

Scripted Encounters 3.a (Colin)

My name is Armsmaster, and I am not a people person. Yes, I've heard the jokes that I'm so socially inept that I think I'm good with people. This is patently false. I am well aware of my weaknesses. Delusions are inefficient. I am also well aware of my strengths. I am one of the world's most powerful Tinkers and the head of the Protectorate in one of the most troubled cities in North America. Heroes are outnumbered by villains three to one here in Brockton Bay, and under my leadership we are holding the line.

It's almost three in the morning on a spring Sunday. When you've spent as long fighting crime as I have, you get a feel for certain patterns. Semi-professional and wanna-be criminals who commit premeditated crimes prefer this hour. Not many people are awake to resist or witness the crime, and the few that are conscious tend to be tired. With the spring thaw people are feeling more adventurous. More crime in general, more runners and second-story jobs in particular. And Sunday means less teenagers trying to prove they're tough, more desperate career 'entry-level' workers taking a chance at a huge score, so they don't have to go back to work. Or commit suicide-by-cape. Whatever means they don't have to go back to work in the morning.

I'm patrolling by motorcycle tonight, armed with Dragon's latest iteration Tinkertech tranquilizer, sandman. Its nanite-suspension delivery system (PRT-approved non-replicating) automatically adjusts dosages, giving it an effectively 0% chance of overdose. Shadow Stalker has certainly proven that point with her crossbows. The newest adjustment to the formula should suppress regeneration, theoretically. Now I just need a vill- er, test subject, to try it on.

My police scanner crackles to life, "Attention, all units: Lung has been sighted at Sullivan and Ingram. All BBPD officers are advised to focus on crowd control and containment. Leave this one to the PRT." Ask and ye shall receive. My second-most impressive invention turns smoothly towards the docks.

"Armsmaster, we've got an alert." Miss Militia knows that I've got my scanner and that the one thing the BBPD excels at is dispatch, but rules are rules. We can't acknowledge, especially not on recorded frequencies, that I already know. She reads off the same address, and Lung's PRT assessment even though we both know it already, "Lung is a Brute 4 and Blaster 2 at base level, and can improve over time to an estimated Brute 9, Blaster 7, and Mover 4. Extreme caution is advised."

"I'm on my way." Truer words were never spoken, as I'm almost halfway there before she finishes speaking.

"Do you want me to scramble the team?" Miss Militia's voice loses its procedural precision and fills with unnecessary concern.

"Negative." Usually I'd want backup facing Lung. I may be the leader of the Protectorate East North-East, but I know my limits. "I anticipate being able to get a tranquilizer dart into him before he grows too strong. If we need the whole team, it's too late already."

Ingram is one of the oldest streets in Brockton Bay, originally laid as a wagon trail. Now it's too narrow for two cars to pass and is instead home to dumpsters, rats, and wastrels. It's not the most picturesque setting for me to defeat Lung in, but it's as much as I can really expect in this city.

Dragon broke in shortly before I reached my destination, "Armsmaster, I've been monitoring the 911 calls. Lung fought with two unidentified capes, a female in a gold costume and a male with a dark costume. Reports are contradictory, but it seems they took him down once and he got back up."

"Acknowledged." New capes. I trigger the creation of two new files in my IFF system, but leave everything blank for now. Fighting Lung means nothing as far as hero or villain goes. If there's any truth to the reports Dragon mentioned, they must be powerful. And foolish if they let Lung get back up.

I steel myself for the battle ahead, reviewing to make sure all five firing mechanisms in my halberd are ready on my heads-up display. Magnetic: green. Powder: green. CO2: green. Pneumatic: green. Tension: green. The last two would be useless against even baseline Lung, but still work on powerless criminals, preventing unnecessary wear and tear to the more complicated systems. Both of these systems can also be field-repaired easily and are immune to EMP.

My motorcycle's headlight reveals an unexpected scene as I enter the alley: Lung crashing to the street, his currently 300+ pound frame cracking the pavement. An instant later, a slight figure in gold armor lands on his back and transfers her falling energy into a highly efficient strike to his head. The pavement shatters further.

The yell of " **[Finishing Strike]** " is less impressive, more disquieting. Lung doesn't have a kill order on his head. I trigger a quick photo for evidence while the weapon is still in contact. My systems immediately beginning labelling all the pertinent details. Oh. She's using a bat. Not exactly what I would expect from a cape in medieval-styled armor. I approve. Bladed weapons are far too dangerous in inexpert hands.

"Um, it's not what it looks like." **NERVOUS - TRUTH** flashes across my HUD. "This guy is Lung." **NERVOUS - TRUTH** I knew that already. "If you don't hit him really hard he gets back up again." **NERVOUS - TRUTH** I'm quite aware of that.

I switch the social analysis system to only highlighting falsehoods, emotional shifts, and suggested scripting as I dismount and retrieve my halberd. "That's true enough. Are you sure you didn't hit him too hard?"

"He's still breathing." She hops to the ground and lowers her bat. "He should be good eventually."

 **BREAK ICE** "I think I would have heard about it if there were any golden armored bat-wielding capes active in Brockton Bay." That's good enough. Now to get information. "Is this your first night? Or are you just new to the area?" I doubt that any cape capable of defeating Lung could have flown under the radar for any length of time, but I've heard people get offended when I make assumptions.

"First night. I'm Lady Bug. My partner, Beetle Knight, should be joining us shortly." Infrared shows a figure on a nearby roof. Probably male, heat signature of the head is misshapen. This Beetle Knight is probably wearing an oddly-shaped helmet. That must be the other cape from the report.

I relax a little. Lady Bug is showing no signs of hostility and didn't defeat Lung single-handedly. If she does attack, I can take her. Still, two rookies beat Lung? "And the two of you took out Lung, by yourselves?"

"Well, Beetle Knight, me, and several thousand bugs under my control." **EVASIVE - FALSEHOOD** A small flock of moths begin orbiting her. Impressive control. I wonder who else helped them? "That blow I just gave him wouldn't have put him down if his blood wasn't full of spider venom."

Smart. Give his regeneration a sufficient internal threat to deal with while continuing to attack externally. She must have some serious muscle to have pulled off that hit. "Really? So you're a Brute and a Master then?" Odd combo, most Masters are only as good as their minion.

The shrug is labelled by my SAS as FALSE MODESTY. I've been informed that false modesty is better than none at all, and the most I can aspire to, so I won't call her on it. "I'm more of a Master than a Brute. I know the costume doesn't look it. I had a cape that sells the bug portion of Lady Bug, but Lung's a pyrokinetic."

A cape? Really? That's so rookie. Practicality aside, PR would probably approve. I take a moment to run a full scan of her gear. The baseball bat is battered and unremarkable. The rest of her outfit though… Boron carbide plating encased in spider silk. The mask has been painted white but the rest of the armor is naturally golden. My relevant trivia engine informs me it's the natural color for silk excreted by the Golden Orb Weaver spider. The body suit under the armor is also white. Her breastplate is well-rounded. Feminine, but without the false cleavage many rookie capes insist on. My opinion of her goes up a bit. She's got a red belt buckle in the shape of a ladybug. Branding will probably insist on something a bit more obvious. All in all, very good for a new cape.

It's going to need some repair work after tonight. Soot is very difficult to wash out and it looks like her abdominal plating cracked at some point. Brute or not, that must have hurt.

At this point in my observations, Lady Bug crosses her arms across her chest, dropping her bat. **UNCOMFORTABLE** I've taken too long without speaking. "You're telling the truth about that at least. Do you need a hospital?" I did, the last time my armor cracked. That was when Skidmark and Mush managed to push me off a parking garage.

"No, I'm fine." I increase her estimated Brute rating by a point. **ATTEMPT RECRUITMENT** "Lung might. Hard to tell. He almost died," That takes a lot, "but five minutes later he was back up and fighting." The reports on that were true. Regenerators. "We both came close to dying," she blurts.

"Sounds like you hit both extremes: too much force and too little." Can't kill them, can't lose to them. It's a balancing act. I see my chance. "If you join the Protectorate, we can help you with that. You took down Lung, so you've obviously got potential." I hate recruitment speeches. Dauntless, Miss Militia, Battery, shoot, even Assault is a better choice than me. I get attacked by new capes during dialogue more than any other hero. Just in case, I keep my focus on her center of mass. If she tries anything, I'll be ready. "As a member we can help you focus that potential, learn to control your powers, and you'll have teammates to back you up." I look forward to working with her.

"Wards." Say what? "I'm not eighteen." Well… all the more time to get her trained up? Wards aren't supposed to fight. What a waste.

A clatter of metal on pavement draws our attention to a figure climbing down an access ladder. He's wearing clean street clothes and a truly ridiculous helmet. Green tee, blue jeans. Not bad for daily wear, terrible for a cape. The exposed skin alone… Knit gloves (without sleeves) and velcro shoes make things even worse. Velcro may be efficient, but it gets no respect. And the helmet… Three big horns with a little spike in the middle, big goofy lenses. My scanners say it's made of some pretty tough stuff, so it's not just some stupid prop. But without any matching pieces, one source is most likely: he's wearing a recovered tinkertech helmet from one of those over-the-top Japanese capes. Fanboy. Ugh. I don't believe in a god, but if I did, I'd pray this isn't Beetle Knight.

Lady Bug immediately ruins my hopes by waving him over. "Come join us. Armsmaster, this is Beetle Knight." Shoot. "He's a… Brute-Thinker combo." **EVASIVE - FALSEHOOD**

"Humph." Not a Tinker, not a Brute-Thinker. Fanboy. Don't tell me...

"Yeah, what she said. Basically I'm a half-assed Über with a little extra strength and durability. I acquire skills a little faster than normal through training." **EVASIVE - FALSEHOOD** ...not another one.

"And what skills have you acquired?" Give me something, anything that can disprove my theory.

"A bit of Jeet Kune Do," No! "some tricks with blunt weapons," What does that even mean? "and a few other minor skills." I hate this kind of vagueness. I'm almost certain now. He's a powerless, delusional fanboy and his girlfriend is humoring him.

"Knight, would you check on Lung?" Lady Bug dismisses the idiot.

"Yes, m'lady." He narrowly misses impaling his hand on one of those stupid horns as he salutes. Salutes!

"Do you," I barely manage to resist adding an 'even', "have any medical skills?"

"Why, yes I do," **SMUG** he shoots back over his shoulder. "Just a bit of First Aid, but enough to tell if he's breathing a check his heart rate." There's an odd emphasis to 'first aid' when he says it.

Lady Bug steps between me and the kid **NERVOUS** , "So when will someone be here to secure him for transport?"

"Soon, but not soon enough." Lung already got up once, and this is a perfect chance to test the new sandman. I access targeting data, switch to CO2 firing, send a 'successful capture' signal to the PRT, and point my halberd towards his prone form. Lady Bug is in the optimal line of fire. "Move aside." I order. "I need to sedate Lung."

She pauses a moment, **INTIMIDATED** , then steps aside. "Sure."

The twerp is just barely out of the way. An ordinary marksman would have to hold his fire, but my targeting software is calculating that it would be statistically impossible to miss. Beetle Knight has his hands up like I'm aiming at him. I wouldn't need darts to incapacitate a wannabe like him.

"Sedate? I'm not sure that's-" Whatever she wanted to say, the dart has already been fired.

Instead of the clean straight shot the projectile should have followed, it corkscrews lazily through the air and lodges in Beetle Knight's neck, just below that helmet.

"OW! Ow? Ooh? I feel…" He collapses.

Countless insects (I'll need to recalibrate my HUD to count them in the future) raise into the air as Lady Bug turns on me. "What the fuck did you do to him?!" **ENRAGED - PLACATE**.

"Stand down, Lady Bug. That was an accident," it hurts to say the word, "a malfunction. It was also a tranquilizer dart." I swear, if Chris was messing around in my workshop again…

I must have said something right, as the insects calm down. "I'm sorry, it's been a long night. Beetle Knight went down awfully fast. Are you sure he's fine?" **CONCERN**. "That dart was meant for Lung wasn't it?"

While usually I wouldn't share so much information with an independent (for now), it will be easier to handle her if I explain things. "It was. However, that was a sandman dart. It's a special tinker-tech formula that Dragon produces for the PRT. It's very safe. He'll just sleep it off for several hours or until someone administers the antidote."

"So, if there is an antidote, wake him up." **FRUSTRATION**.

"Unfortunately, while the tranquilizer is very safe, the antidote is not." Which is why I'm not allowed to carry it out in the field yet. "Sandman will fight most normal stimulants keeping the subject unconscious." By releasing more sedatives and absorbing the stimulants. "The sedative has to either run its course or be carefully neutralized by a doctor" using a second shot of nanites to neutralize the initial set.

"Fine." **FALSEHOOD - UNDEFINED** Even my SAS has trouble with female-speak. Dragon has rebuffed all my requests that she look over the coding.. "When can we get him to a doctor? I'm sticking with him until he's conscious."

"Good. That will give us time to talk about the Wards program." Not much, but I can probably swing the hard sell. Scare her into the Protectorate. "There is a PRT van already in route to here. They should be arriving soon to take Lung into custody. Which reminds me. I still need to sedate Lung."

Her raised hand pauses me. "Wait! I loaded Lung up with spider venom. He almost died. We hit him with epi-pens to save him." I almost interrupt to ask how that would work, but my talent kicks in. Hmm. I've got some ideas… "Miscalculated a bit there, and he got back up, but are you sure you want to dose him with a tranquilizer?" **UNCERTAIN - REASSURE**.

How much venom could a few spiders inject anyway? Stop questioning me. "Yes, I'm sure. As I said, this drug was designed by Dragon. It's safe. Now step aside." I'm not risking a distance shot until I've had time to break down and inspect the firing mechanism. A point-blank shot works well enough, and I take a moment to scan his wounds. Broken ribs, fractured spine, and a depressed fracture of the skull from that last hit. Not to mention the extensive soft tissue damage. I can use this.

With Lung under control, it's time to get the rookie cape who soloed Lung under contract ASAP. I coach my mouth into a practiced stern frown. "Now, we have some time to talk. By your own admission you almost killed Lung. I also see wounds that would qualify as excessive force, even brutality on anyone else - except this is Lung." **PANIC ALERT - SOFTEN TONE**. Pointing out that she would have killed anyone else would be a little excessive, but I'll keep it in reserve. "You're right, you had to hit him hard, but you can either give a full statement to me now, or you can give one to the police." That should throw her off her stride without scaring her too much.

"Right," Lady Bug visibly steels herself. "So Beetle Knight and I were practicing with our powers…" The rest of the story is about what I expected: Lady Bug figured out some tricks with her swarms, practiced a bit with a few weapons, and settled on the bat. Beetle Knight supposedly learned Jeet Kune Do in one day. Uh huh. I'm sure she's exaggerating his part in the battles against Lung, but that kind of loyalty is admirable. Once it's to the Protectorate, rather than an insane boyfriend. She even tells me about meeting with the Undersiders. "Did we do the right thing meeting with them? I don't think we were in good shape to fight after Lung, but they were villains and we just talked." **SEEKING ADVICE**.

"Could you have taken them in a fight?" And kept the idiot safe? Not against those odds.

"I don't know. Seven against two? I didn't have many good bugs left. I could have used numbers against them, but that's slow and it looked like those dogs alone could have kicked our asses." **UNCERTAINTY**. "Plus I still don't know what their powers were."

I've already memorized their files, along with the files on every other parahuman in the Northeast. "Hellhound controls and enhances dogs. Grue projects darkness. We don't know what Regent does, and you just gave us more information on Tattletale than we ever had before." Updating files as we speak, this is gold. "She's clearly a Thinker of some kind. So, well done there." A little praise from a beloved idol can go a long way towards swaying a new hero. "As for whether you should have fought them, you made the right call. They had numbers on you," seven to one with a stubborn bystander in the way, "plus they had just seen your powers and theirs were unknown. Even experienced heroes have trouble going up against unknowns." I always prefer having the correct set of gadgets for a given threat. Even if I can easily defeat most capes without an optimized loadout.

She lets out a huge sigh. **RELIEVED**.

 **SMILE** "Count it as a good thing that all they wanted to do was talk. You captured Lung and brought back valuable intel on a group we had almost nothing on. What you did tonight was spectacular. You took a major villain off the street."

"I can't take all the credit. Beetle Knight helped a lot." **MODESTY**.

I'm sure. "Of course. The PRT van should be here soon." Time to close the trap. "We need to talk about one more thing, where do you go from here?"

 **APPREHENSION**.

Not quite what I was hoping for, but I can work with it. "If we didn't have witnesses, I would offer to cover for you and take the credit for Lung." She seems too savvy to fall for it, but that kind of a capture could cement my legacy. "I see too many lights on. There will be video on PHO tomorrow at least. Some of them might even try to sell their footage to the local stations for some quick cash. Taking out Lung, that's going to have consequences." Legal repercussions: bad cop. Protection from retaliation: good cop. This is going well.

Lady Bug shrugs again. Shrugs are my favorite form of non-verbal communication. "More attention than I wanted, but I planned to be a hero from the start."

"That's a good thing, but think it through. Lung has an extensive gang throughout the entire Brockton Bay area. More importantly, he has two superpowered flunkies: Oni Lee and Bakuda." Insect minions and Brute strength may have been startlingly effective against Lung, but it will take entirely different tactics to survive those two.

"Yeah, the ABB is really going to hate me now." She's very accepting of this. She must not get how bad this is. "I knew about Oni Lee, like I said the Undersiders fought him tonight, but I've never heard of Bakuda."

"Not surprising. She's new." Rookie capes never spend enough time reading the news. And most experienced capes. "What you need to know is that she's a bomb Tinker. She already engaged in a terror campaign against Cornell University." After seeing the aftermath, I really wish we could have recovered some unexploded ordnance to reverse-engineer. "Lung recruited her recently and brought her to Brockton Bay. Even alone she'd be something of a concern, but put her together with Oni Lee and…" **TRAIL OFF** I suppose I'll let her draw her own conclusions.

"Oh fuck, that's bad!" **ALARMED - SOOTHE**.

Perfect. "Now I want you to consider the danger you'll be in once it gets out that you took down Lung. Without a doubt, Oni Lee and Bakuda will be looking to accomplish two goals. Freeing their boss and getting vengeance on the people responsible." Food for thought.

"And you think joining the Wards will make us safer?"

No doubt. "Of course it will. You'll have the support of your fellow Wards and the back-up of the entire Protectorate in case of any altercations." We may even have to confine her to base for a while. Beetle Knight… can go into Witness Protection. In Alaska.

"I'll think about it." **HESITANT** It's a start. "I'll need to talk about it with my partner as well." Shoot me now.

"Think about it. Talk it over with your partner," lose the dead weight, "but don't wait too long. You'll be much safer in the Wards."

 **SURPRISE** That's an odd reaction. The PRT van arriving prevents me from exploring that further. The pick up goes smoothly. I do have to stop the PRT agents from foaming Lung to the ground. We don't have time to wait around while he's glued to the ground. We need to get him into containment before the sandman wears off. I'd like to keep working on recruiting Lady Bug, but I have to ride escort and keep an eye on Lung. At my suggestion, she takes the opportunity to observe PRT first responders in action. It's very important for heroes to familiarize themselves with how our non-powered support teams function.

The initial dose of sandman lasted all the way to the PRT base, so we don't have to make any stops. The second dart while unloading Lung is just prudent. While transferring him into his cell I text Miss Militia to meet a new potential Ward, along with a tentative dossier. With the inroads I've already established, Hannah should have no trouble getting Lady Bug to sign on.

With all the necessities taken care of, it's time to settle things with Beetle Knight. We need to get him woken up and prove that he doesn't have powers. He isn't in critical condition, but he's wearing a costume, so Lady Bug's permission as his 'partner' is enough for us to treat him, as per the Parahuman Emergency Medical Treatment bill. I order a dose of the antidote sent to the infirmary. Pneumatic tubes I built into the walls are the most secure way to move sensitive chemicals.

..ooOoo..

"What do you mean there's no antidote?"

The on-call physician blinks blearily at me. **SLEEP DEPRIVED** I wish the higher-ups would take me seriously when I say how inefficient it is to rotate our doctors' schedules. We need them alert. "Shadow Stalker brought in a fuck-load of perps tonight, so we used up the old run." **CRANKY - OFFER COFFEE**.

"I personally supervised the delivery of the latest batch at 1700 hours. Why can't you use it?" Shoot, why didn't they use it instead of the technically expired batch?

"Someone screwed the pooch on scheduling, so that fuckwit intern from BBU was the only one with the time to load the tubes. He says a hot chick in a sundress tripped him." **DISBELIEF**. "I bet the dumbass tripped over his own feet staring at her ass or something." **STRESSED** The doctor's tone isn't very professional.

I count to ten before replying. "What about the saved doses from the first batch? The ones we were saving to check how long it actually takes for the counteragent to expire?"

"It should work, but it might be a bit slower and we'd have to keep an extra close eye on him."

Good enough for me. Since we have to monitor this extra carefully, I don't even have to suggest using the Tinkertech body imaging device I built. A few minutes of observing his circulatory system is enough to establish that the old antidote is working nearly exactly how we expected. Before the supposed cape can wake up, I turn my focus to his brain. Hmm. Takes a bit more power than I'd expect to get a clean read. Maybe he is a cape. I have been known to be wrong on rare occasions. It would certainly make recruiting Lady Bug easier. I just manage to get the image right before he stirs. Nope - Beetle Knight doesn't have a Corona Pollentia, let alone an active Gemma. He doesn't have powers and never will.

Now how to use this...

Author's Notes: Busy busy busy holidays. Fresh reminder - Harper Potts is also writing Taylor's side of this as A Bug in the Game, story ID 11584688


	26. Special 5: Christmas

Holiday Special #5: Christmas

Christmas may have only been James' second favorite holiday, but it was his very favorite season. Few things gave him the same sense of satisfaction as finding or making the perfect present for someone. Seeing the look on their face was always the icing on the cake. So finding himself with multiple invites for Christmas day left him with a bit of a choice on his hands. In the end, he delivered packages to several mildly disappointed parties on Christmas Eve and saved Christmas Day itself for the Heberts.

The Hebert house looked better than it had in years. James had discovered a **[Repair]** skill and spent nearly a week grinding it by fixing _everything_ he could get his hands on. And frequently re-breaking it just to do it again. Suffice to say, the bad step got repaired. And the fridge. And the shutters. And the roof. **[Fashion Design]** was finessed into working for the Christmas decorations by Taylor, making the Hebert house the best and most tastefully decorated house north of downtown.

"Wow! Your tree is gorgeous, Mr. Hebert, did Taylor help with it?" James made a beeline for the pile of presents and tucked his various packages into the stack.

"How many times do I have to tell you, just call me Danny." Taylor's father smiled over his eggnog. "Taylor refused to design the tree. She said it would be 'cheating'."

A weight settled onto James' shoulders. "So I did it instead. 96.38% chance Taylor couldn't do a better job of it."

"Dinah! Still telling everyone how much safer you are living here?" James craned his neck to try and see the girl on his back.

"99.74% chance I stop training with you guys within two weeks if I move back home," she reported. "100% chance I'd be BORED."

"And we've fought far too hard saving this city to unleash the S-Class threat that is a bored preteen precog with **[Knife Throwing]** and an **AGI** score in the 90s." Taylor plucked Dinah off James' back and set her onto the freshly-reupholstered couch.

Danny placed a tray of cookies on the coffee table and settled into his new armchair (dropped by Lung for no apparent reason when they prevented his breakout). "That would be terrifying. Now, are we just shooting the breeze, or are we opening presents?"

No one was upset with their presents. Taylor had made each of them a bespoke silk suit that could stop small arms fire. Before anyone could comment, Dinah primly informed the men that she had known what Taylor was making and had requested a suit instead of a dress. Dinah herself had bought them each an Earth Aleph movie and informed them that these would be their new favorite movies. James got _Resident Evil_ , Taylor received _Starship Troopers_ , and Danny got a documentary called _Superbarrio Gomez: Union Superhero_. The union head was still laughing as he handed out keys. Between all the repairs and cash from Illusion Barriers, he'd found expenses much lower than expected over the year. Taylor got a panel van that the dockworkers had modified with hundreds of small terrariums and concealed vents to let insects swarm in and out readily. Dinah was delighted and entirely unsurprised by her new grey bicycle and lock. She'd apparently spent the last month dropping hints about hating pink. James got a motorcycle and a speech about how Gamer's Body or not, helmets are required by law.

James was very happy with his presents, but even happier with the thought that he was going to give the best gifts of the year. **[Crafting]** may be unfair, but as long as the presents are good…

It took nearly 300 subjective hours of grinding, but James managed to put together a surprisingly cute dragonscale charm bracelet with two charms: a crystal unicorn that granted high level poison resistance (no more worries about 'candy') and a silver ladybug with a GPS tracker hidden in it. Peace of mind in jewelry form. James found it a little suspicious that he got a silvery-white baby dragon as an award for crafting her present, but her squeal of joy when it popped of its box told him he just the best present she'd get that year. One for one.

Danny was a little harder to find something for. No significant trauma to counter and adults don't usually want something toy-like. Building a new ferry was bigger than he could handle by himself. Using any of his influence to push a well-known pet-project of Daniel Hebert, Head of the Dockworker's Union. Taylor agreed that they didn't need that kind of scrutiny. In the end, James spent a subjective week grinding **STR** and **[Rising Strike]**. The video him launching a diminutive tugboat out to sea and certificate promising to 'take care of' the other ships as soon as he could steer a battle that way. The following hug was hard enough to actually overpower James' Physical Resistance a little. Two for two.

"Taylor, finding a present for you was… difficult. Your habits are kicking ass and collecting bugs. We've already done everything either of us can think of for you there. Every book that might contain a skill and exotic bugs from all around the world, bought with boss drop money. Dragon bone and scales were used to replace or repair every part of your gear. Your laptop is absolute top-of-the-line. It took forever to think what else you might want." James handed Taylor a long, thin box. "In the end, I had to ask Danny what you would want most in the world and get Dinah's help finding it."

As Taylor opened the box, she froze.

James continued his speech apologetically. "It's been rebuilt so completely it might not even count as the same thing, but it's nearly invulnerable now."

Taylor began crying.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to mess it up!"

The glomp caught James by surprise. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou…"

Three for three. Recovering Annette's flute was totally worth it.

* * *

Author's Notes: This really wasn't supposed to be or take this long, but I rewrote the ending with different presents like three times and this was the best one. Merry belated Christmas!


	27. Special 6: New Year's Eve

Holiday Special #6: New Years Eve

New Years Eve was cold in the northeast. Especially after the sun had set. But after a crazy year of fighting and training for the predicted apocalypse, James thought a little cold was an acceptable price for some peace and quiet. Of course, a high-level **[Elemental Resistance]** certainly helped with the winter chill.

James carefully stepped between the various figures gathered on the hillside just west of Brockton Bay, balancing a tray of hot cocoa and donut holes. He finally took a seat beside Taylor on a large picnic blanket. Amy and Victoria leaned over to grab their steaming drinks before he could set them down.

"I almost wish Lung would show up again," Taylor complained as she wrapped her fingers around the hot drink. "Or Sundancer. Or Genesis. Or Circus."

"What about L33t?" Amy suggested slyly.

"Not reliable enough, even at exploding," Victoria responded as if by rote. All four heroes took a moment to laugh about the only cape too unreliable to base even a 'Springtime for Hitler' plan on. Literally.

After the last few giggles faded James checked his phone. Just over a minute left.

Taylor noticed the movement. "Just about time?"

"Yep." He nodded.

"Are they doing it the same as last year?"

Victoria burst in before James had to reply, "Almost. They've made a few changes for the first time in years." He took advantage of Taylor's distraction to silently activate a few skills. Ten.

"Oh, right, Kayden is helping this year, isn't she?" Taylor nodded to herself as she contemplated the ex-neonazi's defection. "She'll fit in well." Six.

"Theo's been trying to ask Crystal out." Amy was clearly amused by the thought. "I'm not sure she's noticed with how busy she's been practicing for the big show."

Two. James stood up, smoothly if abruptly. "Go time. **[Flight]**." He launched into the over the crowds gathered for the New Wave New Year Lightshow. " **[Dragon's Scales]**." Blasts of light from four directions reflected of him as he spun over the field, a human disco ball.

"That," Victoria grinned in pride, "Is totally worth all 29 times he beat me before he earned the skillbook."

"Oh. Is _that_ what you were doing together for the last few weeks?" Amy and Taylor blurted in unison as the highly choreographed display unfolded overhead.

"That, and practicing with his flight once he had it. What did you think we were doing?"

Both would adamantly insist later their silence was just because the show was that breathtaking.

 ** **Quest completed!****

* * *

Author's Note: Was not planned at first, but each holiday special so far has involved a different possible team for James and Taylor. Their actual team will likely be revealed before the next one, which means this was timed perfectly.


	28. Scripted Encounters 3-5

Scripted Encounters 3.5

I wake inside a featureless white tube. It kinda reminds of an alien lab from one of those alien abduction-type movies. "Ah! Ahlen lahbatoey! Nno pwobe!" Who said that?

 **[Use of an expired antidote has resulted in incomplete healing!]**

 **[You are no longer poisoned!]**

 **[You are now drugged!]**

 **[All actions taken will automatically trigger {Fool's Act}]**

 **[This effect will diminish with time. 1:58:43 remaining]**

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[By enduring the primary effects of a toxin, {Poison Resistance}, has been created.]**

 **[Poison Resistance (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**

 **[The body's ability to metabolize toxins increases. 3% decrease in the duration or efficacy of poison effects.]**

 _ **[I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.]**_

A hand grips my ankle and drags me and the gurney I'm laying on out into a grey room. Armsmaster releases my leg. "Ahrmshmasder! Shave me!" Oh God, that's me talking. And I'm _hugging_ the armored hero.

 **[Relationship with "Armsmaster" has decreased]**

 **[Relationship with "Armsmaster" is now 'Nuisance']**

That's not really fair. I glare up at him from inside my helmet.

 **["Armsmaster"]**

 **[Level ?]**

 **[Protectorate ENE Head]**

On the plus side, I actually notice the words over his head now. The question marks are no surprise, given his reputation.

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

He manfully ignores my babbling as he carries me out of the lab. And by 'carry' I mean 'doesn't shove me off'. Of course, everything seems more manly with a beard. "Wy da berd? Ahh wahnuh berd to. Ah donn havv won." **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]** My horns catch on his chestplate briefly before I can turn away. "Ah gotsch hornss doe… to dey mayge mi loog horny?" Please let this be a relatively normal reaction to the antidote. Please let him have seen this so many times it won't be held against me.

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

Lady Bug is only two rooms away, in a comfortable but sterile waiting room. I finally manage to dismount Armsmaster, only to find myself wobbling towards Taylor. "Bugg! I mished yoo!" And I faceplant into her breastplate. My head turns to the side as my horns slide across the armor.

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

Taylor freezes for an awkward moment before pushing me back upright. "Easy there, Knight. You're still a little woozy from the drugs. Take a seat." She guides me to sit down on a surprisingly comfortable seat and sits beside me.

Once I'm seated I notice we have an audience. Every teenaged boy in Brockton Bay (and probably all of New England) is… intimately aware of Miss Militia. Dusky skin, dark hair, and curves that her clearly non-standard fatigues just enhance. "Mish Miller- Milita… _Miss Mi-li-ti-a_." Wow, that took a lot of effort to not completely mangle. A thunderous stage whisper escapes while I'm patting myself on the back for my pronunciation prowess. "I uszed ta dream aboud herrr. Shtill do." I'm never living this night down, am I?

 **["Miss Militia"]**

 **[Level ?]**

 **[Ever Vigilant]**

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Relationship with "Clockblocker" has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with "Clockblocker" has increased from 'Stranger' to 'Acquaintance']**

Laughter draws my attention to another figure. Hey, it's Clockblocker! He's standing next to Vista. Whoa, those moving clocks on his costume are weird in person. "Cockblock! Er, Clockblock! Er. Allwaize wandameat yoo. Gread shensha humah, unlike Armsmater 'ere." I hook a thumb over my shoulder. "Ee uszd ta be mah fav'rit. Wannid the unnies wit his lowgo, bud cout ownlee fine on panties." Of all the words to enunciate correctly… To be fair, I have always wondered why an adult male hero has his logo on underwear for pre- and pubescent girls. "Wise dat?"

 **["Clockblocker"]**

 **[Level 30]**

 **[Class Superclown]**

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Relationship with "Clockblocker" has increased!]**

Clockblocker apparently likes that, as he barks out another short laugh. "Marketing knows how often he gets his panties in a twist, so they made more for him." The drugs are completely responsible for my giggles. Miss Militia and Vista have no such excuse for their chuckles.

Lady Bug puts a hand on my shoulder. "Knight, for your own sake, just stop talking. You'll thank me tomorrow." I'm trying! Everything I think comes out all **[Fool's Act]**. She turns to speak to Armsmaster. I can't even look at him without saying something embarrassing.

Facing Vista is probably the safest bet. No lusty feelings there, no unfortunate comparisons to other heroes jump to mind. She's wearing her iconic green costume. I try to give her a small, friendly wave, but it comes out as a wild flail. "Vishta! Jer mah faborid Werd! Fug yooklitian gee oh meh tree. You needa pishtol. Shewt rount conners an sheet." This is not the time or the place for PHO power stunt discussions. Well, maybe it's the place.

 **[Relationship with "Vista" has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with "Vista" has increased from 'Stranger' to 'Acquaintance']**

 **["Vista"]**

 **[Level 56]**

 **[Escher's Wunderkind]**

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Fool's Act's Level goes up by 1!]**

Taylor's conversation with Armsmaster must not be going well, his voice is getting louder, "He'll get you killed! It's admirable that you want to keep your… friend around, but he doesn't. Have. Powers."

What? "Whut?" Oh, so now I can make myself understood.

"I understand wanting to have powers." An infuriatingly insincere sympathetic tone colors the hero's words, "Every teen wants to be special. Your talent for martial arts is… impressive, but it isn't a power." Now he shifts to lecturing, patronizingly. "Every human who has the potential to develop powers has an extra brain lobe, the corona pollentia. While the exact location and shape varies, widely, it is an additional structure in the brain not present in normal humans. It's not too hard to recognize when there's a significant variance from the norm. And your brain is textbook. You don't have powers, you can't develop powers."

 **[Your reputation with The Protectorate has decreased!]**

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

Of course I have powers. "I haz da powah!" The fist pump seems unnecessary. And I really doubt this is helping prove things. I've got several powers I can show off. **[Gamer's Body]** is obvious enough, but maybe- "Tah-lahdy Bug, forg me!" Damn it.

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

"I know you have powers, my Beetle Knight." Well that's formal. I guess it does fit our apparent theme. Which I'm totally spoiling right now. "Please, just sit, rest. No talking. You suck at the talking thing right now." Okay, much less formal there. Still, her soft tone takes the edge off. Or rather, redirects it towards Armsmaster. "I can't believe your nerve, trying to have this discussion while Knight is in this state. The state of paranormal science is a joke. There is a tiny island of things we know, surrounded by the shallow waters of what we think we know, floating in a vast sea of ignorance." That sounds familiar. What should have been a sage nod at her words turns into more of a drunken loll. "How many parahumans have brains that you can't scan for one reason or another? I hear Weld is made of solid metal. How does that look to your machines? Whether you see it or not, Beetle Knight has enormous potential. There a plenty of parahumans whose powers take time to grow. Dauntless, Victor, you and every other tinker that ever was. While your machines may not have found a corona pollentia, Beetle Knight is a true hero and my partner."

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

"Whashee shed." I appreciate the thought, and the lack of stabbing (that shit hurt enough the first time), but I've got other powers. Which one would prove it best? My skills aren't exactly flashy, so they're out. [Dragon's Scales] would be good enough if I'd already learned it. Wait. I can make things appear out of thin air. " **[Inbentordy]** " Nothing happens. Maybe if I'm doing something stupid it can be pronounced correctly. " **[Imbide Cogblogger]** " All I'm getting is weird looks. Okay, I guess verbal components are out until I stop blurting out random slurry nonsense. At least I didn't blow that secret. And that leave me with… "Laytee Bhugg, forg me!" I swear, **[Fool's Act]** wants me hurt.

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

Taylor shuffles away from me. What does she think I said? "Knight, forgive me." What? "Clockblocker, will you please give Beetle Knight a _hand_?" Oh. Actually, that's a good idea. I'm not exactly in control here. Let her handle things while I'm out of time. I don't even try to move out of the way.

The heroes vanish, replaced by a generic PRT agent, and Taylor is suddenly on my other side.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[By surviving a time-altering effect, {Time Resistance}, has been created.]**

 **[Time Resistance (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**

 **[The user resists time distortions. 3% reduction in involuntary time-related effects.]**

 ** _[Bullshit!]_ ** Bullshit is right. How does that even work?

"Are you okay, Knight?" I take a moment to take stock. **[HP: 2,945/2,945] [MP: 4,520/4,520]** The only thing out of place is the sticker on my shirt, proudly proclaiming 'Clockblocked!'. I kinda wish he'd taken a moment to sign it.

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

I give the smallest nod I can manage. It's still dopily huge. "Ahm ohgay."

"That's good. I asked for a few days to think things over. Once you're feeling better we can come back and make a better impression. Agent Gregg here will be giving dropping us off at Kidder and Durance."

That's good. I don't want to think what trouble I'd get us into walking across town. Agent Gregg leads us down to a cavernous concrete motorpool. I can't believe they think all those white panel vans are inconspicuous. Thankfully, he loads us into a far more non-descript grey sedan. It takes two tries to get my horns in the car. I don't know if I could have done it wearing the **[Stag Beetle Augment]**.

The ride is mostly silent, which works fine for me. No talking is for the best right now. I tip over sideways onto Taylor's lap going through a particularly sharp turn and barely stop myself from making things worse by trying to get back up. Who knows how badly **[Fool's Act]** would mess that up? There's an awkward moment when she places a firm hand on my shoulder, but then she grabs my head and tilts it so the horns aren't jabbing anywhere. I'll have to thank her for not commenting later. From the time we left the waiting room to the time the car stops, I earn another **[+4 Poison Resistance]**.

We exit the car at a run-down park. The wooden fence is rotten through under peeling paint. Weeds have grown high enough to tie down the swings. Trash and worse fills the sandbox. I used to play here. Just another example of how far this city has fallen.

Taylor waves off the driver and we begin the short walk home through a few secluded service lanes. The park itself may be abandoned, but it's still a bit open to risk changing. And I can't exactly access my inventory. We both [Stealth] to try and avoid notice. Thank God I know I can do that silently now.

Now that it's just the two of us, the silence is stifling. It doesn't help that I can't exactly read Taylor's face behind Lady Bug's mask. "Aye'm zarree."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had Clockblocker freeze you without asking."

"Wuz gud kall. Ahm knawt upta talgging." I can't wait for this to wear off.

She's not done with it. "Still, it was a betrayal. Can you forgive me?"

"Fergive? Fug no." **[Fool's Act]** enforces a perilous pause. "Eym thangin ewe. Plz douit agn. Ef ya halvta. Nawt fer no re zin."

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has increased.]**

"Thank you." After a heavy pause she added, "What Armsmaster said, it was complete bullshit, you know. You stood up to Lung, plus your power grows over time. You're going to be an awesome hero some day and he'll eat his words."

Just keeping my mouth shut isn't enough to thwart the drugs, it seems. I trip over my feet hugging her and we bounce off a familiar fence. "Hay! Iz ma playse!"

"Doesn't look like anyone is awake." How does she know that? "Give me a bit and I'll get bugs inside to check." Right. That's going to take some getting used to. And privacy rules. "Do you need help getting inside? In your state, they'll think you're drunk if you get caught."

 **[00:04:29]** left on the countdown. I can just wait it out. "Ishz nod neeshifsherry. Dwrugs faydin. Boud fibe minuds left. Godda kowndown timah."

"You've got a countdown timer?" I'm getting used to hearing that incredulous tone whenever we discuss my powers. "Bullshit powers. Well that's a relief. No one is up."

The only window on this side of the house is covered by a bush we keep forgetting to trim back. There's a little bench on the back wall, just under the window of my room. There's a small flowerbed across from it that I've been maintaining for the last few years, if only to have an excuse to keep the bench. Haven't really made practical use of it, but I've been able to test climbing into and out of the house this way. I'm not even going to try just yet. I take a seat, heavily. **[-4 HP]** Really?

"Will you be okay from here?" Lady Bug whispers, her voice carrying a little more than I'm comfortable with. I give her another wild nod.

 **[Fool's Act's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[You are no longer drugged!]**

 **[Poison Resistance's level goes up by 1!]**

Damn it. Couldn't just do that two seconds sooner? "I'm okay now. **[Inventory]**. Here's your bag." A few few quick gestures and the helmet vanishes. Air, sweet fresh… okay, stinky polluted air. It's amazing how freeing it is to be out of the mask.

"Debrief after school tomorrow?" Taylor's hunching by the bush. If she doesn't want Lady Bug and James Barron connected, she really should just change back. "I got a quest for us to make or join a team. We'll need to discuss that."

 **[New Quest Alert: Join a Team!]**

 **[Join a team or form one of your own.]**

 **[Goal time: 70 hours]**

 **[Reward: 7500 XP, Increased relationship with new teammates]**

 **[Failure: Loss of training opportunities]**

 **[Accept?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

"So I see." I make the dismissal motions extra obvious. Not sure what needs to be discussed. Go back tomorrow, show off my inventory, join the Wards. Tada! Well, if she wants to talk it over, I might as well humor her. But we're getting the security of a team ASAP.

Taylor nods and slips out the back gate. I wait a moment before climbing up on the bench. Popping the window open and clambering through is much easier than I recall. Must be the increased physical stats. I'm, what, three, four times stronger than I was last time I tried this?

"Aren't we in trouble?" Fucking Andy. He must have been waiting.

But I'm actually prepared for this. One good thing about not being able to talk? More time to think. "Shh. Dude, have I got a story to tell. But you've got to promise to keep your mouth shut."

* * *

 **Character Sheet**

 **James Barron**

 **Novice Hero**

 **Level 24**

 **HP: 2945/2945**

 **MP: 4520/4520**

 **$ 212.89**

 **Attributes:**

 **Str: 27**

 **Agi: 39**

 **Vit: 39**

 **Int: 39**

 **Wis: 15**

 **Luck: 6**

 **Unspent Points: 45**

 **Skills:**

 **A Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl MAX**

Grants the user a body like a game character.

Health and general soundness of body are reflected as HP.

Powers and special efforts use MP.

Sleeping restores all HP/MP and relieves all status effects.

 **A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl MAX**

Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.

Allows peaceful state of mind.

Immunity to psychological status effects.

 **Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Lvl 6**

Allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

10% increase in attack damage with blunt weapons.

5% increase in attack speed with blunt weapons.

 **Chinese (Passive) Lvl 2**

Allows the user to read, write, speak, and understand Mandarin, Cantonese, and many other sub-dialects.

At this level, the user has a pre-schooler's comprehension and will suffer misunderstandings between the various dialects.

 _Zhōngguó shì dìqiú shàng zuì chángyòng de yǔyán de kǒuyǔ._

 **Craft (Active) Lvl 1**

A skill to make something.

Crafted objects become better as mastery level rises.

Chance to fail when crafting: 50%

 **Detect Enemies (Passive) Lvl 1**

A skill to detect hidden enemies.

1% increase in chance of spotting a hidden enemy.

 **Dodge (Sustained) Lvl 11 / 100 MP per minute**

A dedicated action to avoid an attack.

+110% to AGI while dodging.

 **Elemental Resistance (Passive) Lvl 4**

The body's durability increases and you take less damage. 7% decrease in damage taken from fire, ice, acid, and electrical attacks.

If you can't stand the heat, don't tickle the dragon.

 **Finishing Blow (Active) Lvl 5**

Allows the user to strike an incapacitated target for bonus damage.

125% increase in critical rate.

500% increase in attack damage.

Can only be used on prone opponents.

 **Fool's Act (Active) Lvl 10 / 50 MP**

Words or actions that make the enemy doubt the mental state of the user. It may confuse the target.

Has a chance to confuse the target for 4 seconds. Willpower negates.

 _Now you have a skill for it._

 **Gambling (Passive) Lvl 1**

Knowledge of games of chance and stratagems for success. +1% LUK

 _Lucky in cards..._

 **Grounding Strike (Active) Lvl 4 / 25 MP**

Knocks the target out of the air. 60% increase in attack damage per foot to ground.

 _...and hard!_

 **ID Create (Active) Lvl 3**

Used to create instant dungeons.

Stronger instant dungeons can be created according to level.

Dungeons available:

Empty

Zombie

Ghost

Dragon Yakuza

 **ID Escape (Active) Lvl 3**

Used to exit instant dungeons.

Higher levels can be used to escape more powerful barriers.

 **Jeet Kune Do (Passive) Lvl 16**

A hybrid martial art with a focus on real-world combat and interrupting the opponent's attacks.

Passively increases speed and damage of unarmed attacks by 170%

Passively grants a 17% chance to disrupt the opponent's next attack within a second on a successful hit.

 _When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!_

 **Knife Mastery (Passive) Lvl 6**

 **Knife Throwing (Passive) Lvl 1**

 **Light Armor Mastery (Passive) Lvl 9**

 **Observe (Active) Lvl 7**

 **Physical Resistance (Passive) Lvl 8**

 **Poison Resistance (Passive) Lvl 13**

The body's ability to metabolize toxins increases. 14% decrease in the duration or efficacy of poison effects.

I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.

 **Power Strike (Active) Lvl 15**

 **Rising Strike (Active) Lvl 1**

 **Singing (Passive) Lvl 1**

 **Sense Danger (Passive) Lvl 5**

 **Stealth (Passive) Lvl 7**

 **Time Resistance (Passive) Level 1**

The user resists time distortions. 3% reduction in involuntary time-related effects.

 _Bullshit!_

 **Zombie's Hide (Sustained) Level 15 / 30 MP**

A magic to grant the user skin like a zombie.

Blocks 7.5% of physical, electrical, cold, and acid damage.

Reduces likelihood of infection by disease or poison by 15%

20 Additional MP used per minute.

 _Grr. Argh._

 **PRT Rating: Civilian, deluded**

* * *

Author's Note: Still filling in the blanks on the character sheet, but the levels and stated effects are all accurate. Next chapter shouldn't take so long, with the holidays out of the way.


	29. Factions 4-1

Factions 4.1

In the end I get no sleep. Details on new capes are a hot commodity in the school yard, and Andy is a greedy little bastard. Oh well. I couldn't have grabbed more than a half hour nap and expect to wake up on time to grab a shower before school. Andy promises to not tell anyone (including the parents) I was there (out all night), not because I bribed him, but because he "didn't want people to know I'm related to a dumbass who failed to get TWO new capes' autographs". Yeah. Great kid, my younger brother.

I lose my usual shower time when Andy decides he'll go early since he's already up. 'Quick' shower or not, that gives me at least half an hour before anyone else wakes or he's out. I grab a bowl of granola ( **[Observe]** likes it better than Cheerios or Raisin Bran) and scuttle back to bed to leaf through "A Beginner's Guide to The Gamer".

It's a thick book and very dry reading, so I mostly skim. The chapter on skills confirms that I can use skills silently after level 5, but at lowered effect. Some skills fold into others, some evolve into others, some spawn new skills at max level, etc. Skills max out at level 100. Kinda already figured, but it's nice to see in black and white.

I thumb backwards to stats. Physical first, since I've been prioritizing them lately. **STR** is strength. Lift more, hit harder, and half the equation to moving faster and jumping higher. Visually, it results in larger muscles, within reason. **AGI** is agility. Flexibility, dexterity, and the other half of track and field. It gives a tighter, more defined musculature. The speed bit is a little more realistic than most games, but it makes sense. **VIT** is vitality. Endurance, durability, and **5 HP** gained per level per point. Not retroactive. The sooner I get my **VIT** , the more it benefits me in the long run. I'll want to get more points in there before I level up again. According to the guide, a good score here will result in general good health and 'idealization'. At my current **39** , I should have a fairly easy time keeping to a good weight, _very_ little acne, and it looks like I might just catch up with Andy on height a little.

On the subject of **39** , let's see about the mental stats. **INT** is intelligence. Memorization, speed of thought, skills allowed, and **5 MP** gained per level per point. Also not retroactive. No wonder I can throw around my skills freely. Still, more is better. **WIS** is wisdom. Somehow that's described as perception, quality of thoughts, learning speed, and **1% MP Regen** per 10 points. I suppose 'quality of thoughts' sounds kinda similar to what people usually mean by 'wisdom'. **LUK** is luck. Not really a 'mental' stat, but even less a physical one. The guide states that it affects everything, but is more obvious in situations where skill and outside forces matter less. Like dice, cards, and loot. Mmmm, loot.

A few more skimmed pages brings me to a section about macros. Apparently I can create verbal shortcuts for using more than one non-contradictory skill at once or for accessing inventory functions. Which includes... saved outfits. I grab my other pair of black jeans and build a few saved 'heroic' outfits. One for each augment, in case I need to change quickly. I'll try them out later. A last second thought has me adding an athletic supporter.

Still need to replace the shirt and armor. The **[Undead Shirt]** and **[Pauldrons]** will make for a good start there. Not making those here, too much chance of being seen. And I have no clue how 'normal' my **[Crafting]** skill looks. For all I know there will be a spinning glow floating in front of me for thirty seconds followed by a loud ding as the parts poof into a new item. Not something to test around people. Just in case, some sewing supplies find their way into my inventory as Andy finishes his forty-five minute shower.

Of all the odd things about living with my power, morning ablutions are the most jarring. I'm not sure I actually need to brush my teeth or hair anymore. They feel and look fine despite everything. Still need to shower. Sweat and smoke are rather noticeable smells. Undressing manually, I notice something in the mirror. Abs. Those were _not_ there two days ago. I didn't really have any fat on me, but I certainly didn't have these muscles. I waste a minute or two flexing at myself before hopping into the shower. I'm resigned to dealing with a damp shirt if I toss it right on a head out early enough to skip any morning drama, but equipping it directly seems to also dry my torso instantly. That's convenient.

I'm always out the door early. It's a habit from when all of us were under the same roof. The house isn't _small_ , but it isn't meant for holding seven. I usually use the extra time to do my homework, but I've got another idea today. I duck behind the house. " **[ID Create: Empty]** " Silence.

The bench in the backyard has never seen so much attention. I dump out the various zombie bits and absorb the **[Undead Shirt]** blueprint. A moment's concentration and my hands begin moving. It's almost like folding clothes or washing dishes; it's like I've done it so many times I don't even have to think about it. Five pieces of foul leather are laid out in the rough shape of a shirt: a rib next to each shoulder, two teeth at each cuff, and one tooth by the collar. My scissors flash through the material, precision cuts made in seconds. I'm not sure I'm actually touching the needle as it sketches out neat seams, buttonholes, and hems. The bones act more like clay in my hands, teeth melting into buttons and ribs reshaping before fusing to the shoulders of the item. It's ugly. The pale leather and yellowed ivory look gross, in a murderhobo way. Before I can even complete the thought, the colors change. Oh, this is much better. It's black with stark white buttons and a bone ridge of sorts over the top of each shoulder.

 **[Crafting: Success!]**

 **[Crafting's level goes up by 1!]**

 **[Undead Shirt]**

 **[Type: Underarmor; Quality: Common]**

 **[A tough yet thin leather shirt for wearing under armor made from parts of the undead. Provides a +3 boost to VIT while equipped. Minor Protection vs. Crushing and Slashing Damage.]**

That's a keeper. Not exactly something the bards will sing about, but it's a damn good start. My saved outfits now include a shirt. Hopefully this one will last longer.

Crafting the **[Undead Pauldrons]** goes much the same. In a matter of minutes I've got **[+2 Crafting]** and a nice pair of round, bone-rimmed, black pauldrons, each decorated by a pentagram with white spikes at each point and intersection. I'm going to look so badass in this.

 **[Undead Pauldron]**

 **[Type: Medium Armor; Quality: Common]**

 **[Hardened leather shoulder armor made from parts of the undead. Provides a +1 boost to VIT while equipped. Moderate Protection vs. Slashing and Piercing Damage. Minor Protection vs. Crushing Damage.]**

Well, I've got nothing more to make, and no more materials to make it with, so I get up, stuff everything into my inventory and take a nice peaceful jog through the Illusion Barrier. There's no traffic in here. I love it. An alleyway about two blocks from Winslow gives me a good place to retrieve my backpack and exit the barrier.

School begins like any other Monday. I'm still here early enough to do my biology homework I really should have done over the weekend before class begins. The final last semester was graded on a curve, assuming no one would get more than a hundred out of the hundred forty questions right. I got 134. Come to think of it, I think a few of the Neo-Nazis who attacked me Friday are in this class. I guess I shouldn't have laughed at them when they tried to bribe me to 'not blow the curve' this time. Oh well. I consider faking a limp, or pretending to disguise a limp I don't actually have, but it's not worth it. It _has_ been a few days.

Greg Veder is also in this class. I could be upset that the little shit didn't even try to get me out of the locker, but wouldn't expect help from him anyway. He didn't help Taylor either, and if you took him at his word you'd think they're dating. He's got less spine than the worms we dissected last week. His attempts at ignoring me are so obvious they make it hard to ignore him. But not impossible.

Mr. Moore pauses next to me on his way in, but doesn't say anything. Good grades buy a lot of leeway, especially at a pit like Winslow. I know I missed half my classes on Friday. He knows I know. As long as I keep my grades up and don't make a habit of it, he won't make an issue of it. Of course, before I 'fought a girl at school' he wouldn't have even paused.

There aren't many good teachers at Winslow. Most are non-entities, keeping their heads down and going through the motions to collect a paycheck, just hoping they don't get dragged into gang business. The few who really try all have their faults. Mr. Gladly tries to be the fun, dynamic teacher but he's too focused on being popular for it to work as an educational approach. Also, I hate group projects. Mrs. Knott has to teach two computer classes at once, instead of separating skill levels. And her somewhat mannish appearance just makes it harder for her to get some students to take her seriously. Mr. Moore is great at teaching his subject, but he's just some gym time and a buzz cut away from looking like an E88 recruitment poster, so about half the students here assume the worst of him. It's his first year teaching here, and I don't think he has the nerve to stay here even until I graduate. Once again, Winslow is a pit.

 **[New Quest Alert: Complete {Biology} In-Class Assignment]**  
 **[Complete the worksheet before time runs out. 1:21:26 remaining]**  
 **[Reward: 50 XP, Increased Reputation with Winslow Staff, {Biology} skill]**  
 **[Failure: Decreased Reputation with Winslow Staff, Increased Reputation with Winslow Students]**  
 **[Accept?]**  
 **[Yes] [No]**

That's new. All we get for class are worksheets. The worksheet is absurdly simple - label the various organs of the worm. Pretty much just a way of checking if we actually paid attention last week. Apparently we weren't, as a few of my classmates are trying to look over my shoulder. I flip the completed sheet over after a few minutes ( **[Quest Completed!]** ) and get to work on a persuasive essay. With a sideways glance at an asian kid who's still staring at my desk, I scrawl out a rough draft about helping cheaters by failing them. It's the little things that make school worth it.

Second period is gym, just like every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I'm halfway through pulling on my gym shirt when it occurs to me just how _normal_ this is. I helped capture Lung, the most dangerous single parahuman in Brockton Bay last night, and I'm here getting changed for class like nothing has changed. Shouldn't there be this weird feeling of detachment, like none of this really matters anymore? Eh. It's probably better I'm acting the same as always. Well, almost.

Officially, this isn't 'gym class', it's 'personal physical fitness'. Coach Shane lets us choose between weight training and a cheesy cardio-by-kickboxing video, but doesn't let anyone slack off. I've done the video so many times, I could probably do the whole thing with just the music as a reminder by now. Today, I head for the weights. It's not like one class can do much for my **AGI** or **VIT** , but **STR** is low enough I could maybe squeeze out an extra point or two. Also, it's much more quantifiable, so I can see my progress.

Last time I tried to bench press, I managed to complete a set. With just the (weighted) bar. I think that's fifteen pounds. But I couldn't have been above **4 STR** at the time. An additional twenty-five pounds on each end should be doable today.

Doable is an understatement. Sixty-five pounds feels almost like benching a broomstick, but I finish a set for the sake of form. Another set of weights slides onto the bar. I'm feeling the weight, but I can do more than this. Another set of weights. That's the stuff. It's a serious strain, but the bar isn't tipping over or crushing me, so it's all good. I probably can't do more than a set like this.

 **[Through concerted effort, your STR has increased by 1!]**

The bar instantly feels lighter. Not 'add another set of the big disks' light, but 'might make it through the second set' light. I settle into a second set.

"James Barron!" I almost drop the bar. Six feet and five inches of bald, tanned ex-Marine (if the rumors are true) is headed my way. Coach Shane doesn't look happy. "What have I told you about spotting?"

Let's think… "Not to do it for anyone else and that there's no point in me bothering with it?"

"That was when you weren't lifting enough to crush your ribcage." Huh? Fifteen plus twenty-five, no, fifty, plus another… and another… I don't weigh that much! "I'll spot for you today, but don't you dare pull this on me again. I'm not getting another injury on my record because you picked up bad habits when you couldn't lift enough to hurt yourself."

Think I just found a downside to my increased stats. Spotting is awkward. There's a grown man in stretchy shorts looming over my head. I finish the set in silence before switching one of the machines. This one has me pulling a bar down to pull weights up. I set the thing to sixty pounds and take a seat. The bar is just out of sitting reach. I shift up, but a pair of tanned hands grab it first. Is he spotting me on a machine? Is that a thing? Weird. I do my best to ignore him. He isn't saying anything anyway. I just focus on finding my new limits on one machine after another.

Eventually, he breaks the silence. "Alright people, I'm in a good mood," Fuck, last time he said that we all had to run laps until we collapsed. "So let's call it a day a little early. Hit the showers. That includes you, Mark. Changing clothes isn't enough." I rack the barbells I've been curling for the last few minutes and head for the door. A hand around my wrist brings me to a halt. "Not you, James. I'd like to have a word with you."

Coach Shane's fairly laidback in class. There's none of that showing on his face as he takes a seat in a balance ball. I perch on the odd abbreviated bench-thing for sit-ups, ready for anything.

"James, mind telling me what's going on? At the beginning of this semester you could barely lift the bar." That's not true! I could lift the bar, I just couldn't if there was any weight on it. "You haven't been in this weight room since then. Even if you had been in here everyday, your growth is nothing short of astonishing." Crap. "What I'm trying to ask is…" He leans in as his voice quiets. Shit. "Is the stuff you're on good enough to still pass a drug test?"

"What?"

"I'll be honest here. I don't approve of steroids. But with the girls' track team bringing home medals, Blackwell wants the other teams to earn some trophies. If our football team doesn't start winning games, she's going to make me do weekend training for the guys. And that would cut into my weekend plans. I think I can turn you into a decent running back or a passable lineman, but there's no point if you're going to get disqualified. So. Can you pass a drug test?"

Can I? Should I? ...do I even want to? Actually, I really don't want to play football. Too much attention, too much time, too… pointless. Sports have never been my thing, and compared to yesterday? It kinda sounds boring.

"Sorry, Coach. A full battery of tests would get me disqualified." I hope I look suitably chagrined. I certainly hope I don't look as pleased as I feel.

"Dammit." Now it's his turn to look embarrassed. "Pretend I didn't say that. And that we had this conversation. But if you can pass by next fall, I want you to try out."

I'll be a Ward long before then, happily attending Arcadia. "I'll do my best."

"That Tinker crap is more obvious than you think. Go get a shower before anyone else notices you aren't sweating. But hurry, class is almost over."

Lunch time. No real hurry. The first week freshman year was enough to warn me away from the cafeteria lines. I just need five minutes in a corner somewhere to eat my sandwich. Maybe I'll try to catch Taylor in the cafeteria? It's on the other side of the school, but I don't exactly have anything else to do for the next hour.

As I near Mr. Gladly's classroom, I hear a hated voice, dripping with familiar malice. "What's the matter, Taylor? You look upset." There's a gaggle of cruelly giggling girls crowding the hall, clustered around four very familiar girls. Most prominently, a… gifted redhead looms over a cringing slender brunette.

 **[Emma Barnes]**

 **[Level 9]**

 **[Treacherous Bitch]**

"So upset you're going to cry yourself to sleep for a straight week?"


	30. Factions 4-2

Factions 4.2

Treacherous. The title describes this bitch perfectly. If I recall correctly, she was Taylor's best friend for years before this bullying shit started. It's a damn shame she's a repugnant person, though. She's got curves most of the Senior girls are jealous of and the most striking red hair. She's had some modeling jobs for local advertisements and even a few national catalogues. I hate to admit I saved a swimwear catalogue she was in a year ago.

The flock of social vultures is thick enough it takes a moment to work my way to the center. They just stand there, maliciously smiling while Taylor's eyes visibly start watering. It's hard to reconcile this victim with the hero I fought alongside last night, but when you've got over a year of losses I imagine it gets hard to fight back. Someone's about to learn that things have changed since last week. Taylor's getting a win today if I have anything to say about it.

"Boo-hoo-hoo, baby's crying!" My least favorite person at Winslow is mocking my partner.

 **[Madison Clements]**

 **[Level 6]**

 **[Cutesy Bitch]**

I've always seen Madison as the worst of the Bitches Three for personal reasons, but now it's immediately obvious she's less of a threat than Emma. Not that either of them is anything resembling a threat now.

I have no clue what Madison's problem is. She used to be this sweet, cute girl in my class. When all the other non-tomboy girls began wearing makeup and miniskirts before even making it to middle school, she was this little island of innocent femininity in a sea of proto-whores. I had a bit of a crush on her through fourth grade, but couldn't get up the nerve to act on it. Years later, the cutesy act is just an act, and creepy as hell. I like cute, but it's like her cuteness got left out of the fridge too long and has started smelling. Eternal grade-schooler isn't cute, it's creepy. Girl needs to grow the fuck up already. Somewhere along the way she developed a grudge against me.

Just as I breach the inner circle, one of the anonymous twits makes a play for approval. "It's like you have a superpower, Emma!"

I really want to say that colossal bitch isn't a superpower, but I'm not going to start out with profanity. Honestly, I really just want to hit her, but that's even worse. **[A smart decision causes your WIS to go up by 1!]** So how should I word this? "I would think a supervillain wouldn't need to outnumber someone nine to one before attacking them."

"Supervillain?" The puzzled minion looks familiar. Her hair is dyed that purplish-red that looks good when it's on purpose and bad when it isn't. Considering her hair is in the same cut as Emma's, I'm guessing that's not the color she was going for. Tiffany! That's this idiot's name.

I could make a crack, define 'supervillain' for the moron, but the last time I tried that kind of joke… was Friday. "Unprovoked attacks certainly aren't superhero territory, are they?"

"Oh, she provoked us alright."

"How?" I push as much disbelief as I can into my tone.

Nearly every one of the girls responds at once, all with different answers. Unwarranted complaints of all kinds come from every direction. They can't even keep from contradicting each other.

"Did you just say she's a slut _and_ a prude? How does that even…?" I ignore them for a moment and check on Taylor. She tries to retrieve her backpack from the floor, but a sneaker slips through the strap and pulls it away from her. My eyes follow the shoe to the sock to the pants, scrupulously skip the shirt, and look Sophia dead in the eye.

Sophia is the vicious one. She's got a lean runner's build that works well with her status as the most physically violent of the three. Trips, shoves, and elbows are her weapons of choice, all carefully timed to be 'accidental' or unwitnessed. I'd bet good money she's behind most stairway 'accidents' around here. Too many guys around here are willing to forget her attitude and actions just because her running outfit lets them see the dark field of her (admittedly flawless) abs.

 **[Sophia Hess]**

 **[Level 32]**

 **[Predator]**

Not what I was expecting. Much higher level, for one. If she had powers she might be a threat. And what kind of crazy bitch does she have to be to get a title like that?

"What did you call me, nerd?"

Did I say something? Hesitation is death with Sophia though. "You heard me." **[Danger!]** And now I get it. I must have thought the 'crazy bitch' part out loud. I've got to be more careful about that, especially now.

Emma would have a biting comeback. Madison would play the cute, innocent victim. Sophia opens up with a textbook haymaker. By necessity, it's completely telegraphed. New reflexes guide me into a perfectly executed jab to her right shoulder. Her punch goes completely wide. Fuck. Taking the hit wouldn't cause the kind of shitstorm this will.

 **[Your reputation with Winslow High has decreased a lot!]**

 **[Your reputation with Winslow High is now 'Troublemaker']**

"What the hell?" "He just hit her!" "He hit a girl!" "I knew the nice guy act was bullshit!" The harpies shriek and back away, Madison and Emma inching out of my line of sight.

"James!" Turning to face Taylor is a mistake. Sophia recovers quickly and takes advantage of my distraction to get me with a kidney punch. **[Critical Hit! -87 HP]** Damn. She's got a little kick there. Kinda wish I hadn't left my backpack in my locker; it might have blocked that a little. But she's not hitting nearly hard enough to beat me before I can take her down now. One on one, I got this.

Sophia gets in another strike **[-44 HP]** , this one to my diaphragm, while I'm recovering. An untrained fighter will push now, overextending. I just have to… Crap. She slides back into a practiced stance. Squared shoulders, open hands, curled fingers. It's not **[Jeet Kune Do]** or anything I've seen Taylor use with **[Aikido]** , so I don't recognize it, but she clearly has some training. The unconcealed fury in her eyes promises she's not backing down. Someone is bound to notice I'm not injured if she hits me too many times. A silent activation of **[Dodge]** should help with that.

I've heard it said violence is a language of its own. If so, Sophia's speaking a dialect I'm not familiar with and has a bit of a motormouth. I swerve between two rapid-fire punches and throw another probing jab she sways around. Damn it, I should have put more points in **WIS** sooner. She throws a palm-strike at my nose, but I manage to lean back from it. The level of **[Jeet Kune Do]** I'll likely earn any second will help, but then I'll be capped again and missing any extra experience from this. Another jab, left this time, intentionally off center. Try and get her to underestimate me. That, and I don't really want to be known at school as the guy who beat up a girl. Would still be better than being the guy who got beaten by Madison. I hope. **[Danger!]** The warning is a little late, but primitive reflexes snap my knees together just in time to stop her rising foot. Okay, bitch deserves this. A low snap kick clips her shin, but she slides smoothly back a step, instantly recovering her footing. Whoever taught her is good. Too bad he or she has terrible taste in students.

A flash of red behind me and the 'thud' of something large colliding with a locker distracts me for just a moment too long. **[-22 HP]** Sophia's knee glances off my thigh. Wish my cup wasn't in the inventory right now; she's a little focused on my squishy bits.

"You bitch!" Ignore what's going on behind me. I shove what could have been a serious gut blow out of the way and quickstep over a leg sweep. Focus on Sophia, Taylor can take care of herself against this flock. **[Critical Hit! -87 HP]** Ow. Right in the solar plexus. I didn't see any levels above 6, other than Emma and Sophia. I lose most of the force behind a punch twisting it to not punch her in the boob, but it still hits her shoulder. **[Aikido]** is better against crowds. A screaming blonde flies past us. **[Jeet Kune Do]** is better against one opponent. Sophia's cross is ruined by a quick jab to her bicep. This is the right way to handle this. **[-44 HP]** That one would have left me with a nasty black eye last week. Trust Taylor. I think Sophia is slowing down...

 **[-23 HP]** There's someone on my back. **[-66 HP]** Sophia takes advantage of the distraction to plant her fist in my stomach firmly. Hop back, get some space. The form leans forward to press against my shoulders. Oh, that's a girl. That's definitely a girl on my back. I can feel that that's a girl. **[-2 HP]** Is… is she pulling my hair? **[-2 HP]** "I got him, Soph!" **[-2 HP]** Fucking Madison. **2 HP** isn't much of a loss by itself, but I'm counting a drop or two per second. **[-44 HP]** I have _got_ to stop losing focus here. Fuck it, it's two birds time. Brace. Hold. I spin _into_ Sophia's haymaker, but move Madison into the line of fire. There's an audible impact. She drops off my back with a pained yelp. Dammit, I feel a little shitty about that.

Not time for that though. Sophia has her turn to enjoy a hard straight to center mass, but she manages to weaken the impact with a well-timed back walkover **[Danger!]** and **[Critical hit! -109 HP]** get in a low kick while she's at it. We both pause for a moment. If asked later, I'm sure we'll both say it's to catch a breath. It's not. I'm in pain, and I'm sure she is too. A moment is all either of us is sparing, though. Fists up, back to it. I'm suddenly reminded of something I heard in the hall once. 'Never hit a lady, but feel free to smack a bitch.' She just nutted me. She's waived the privilege of a clean fight.

Just before I can begin testing the durability of Sophia's nose, a piercing whistle fills the hall. In general, teachers at Winslow don't have the presence to bring a brawl to a stop in a moment like this. Six feet and five inches of tanned muscles can command respect even in these profaned halls. I was really hoping to not see Coach Shane until class on Wednesday, at the earliest. "What the hell is going on here?!"

 **[Wolf Shane]**

 **[Level 27]**

 **[Gym Coach]**

The harpies immediately start accusing us. All Taylor's fault, all my fault, I punched Sophia, I _groped_ Sophia, Taylor broke Emma's nose, Taylor broke Emma's _knee_ (which she's walking on just fine), Taylor tripped… someone. I've stopped trying to remember the names of most of the various twits who've attached themselves to Tri Suki. Tiffany is complaining about a broken nail, while girls around her clutch already-bruising limbs. Damn. Taylor totally kicked ass.

Madison is painfully peeling herself off the floor, hugging her right side. I'm not sure if Sophia is realizing how strong Taylor is now, upset at our fight being interrupted, or just upset we all got caught, but she's glaring at everyone, friend or foe. Emma, pinching a bleeding nose, flinches away from her. Guess she's not used to being on this side of that look.

"Office. Now. All of you." No one argues with that tone. We don't make it ten steps before he adds, "No talking," which silences the plotting whispers. A few more steps and he stops Madison. "Nuh-uh. No cell phones. Not until I get to the bottom of this. Hand it over."

"But, I need to call my parents." Madison matches over-wide puppy-dog eyes with a grating, simpering tone. So fucking creepy.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. We'll be calling all your parents."

No. Please God no. No. If Mom finds out… Oh, hey! **[Gamer's Mind]** to the rescue. I still _really_ don't want my parents hearing about this, but the deep dread I'm anticipating doesn't surface. How badly can she punish me? Yell at me, berate me? I'm not afraid any more. Cut my privileges? I never get a turn with the remote anyway, and three of the last four desserts were cherry-based. Yuck. Ground me? I'd like to see her try to contain someone who can duck into another dimension. Corporal punishment? Pain vanishes in moments now, and the boost to **[Physical Resistance]** could be useful. Extra chores? Who knows, I might get a new skill, like **[Dusting]** or **[Window-washing]**. Okay, so wasting skill slots would be a real punishment.

Emma is crying as we approach the principal's office. I'm not exactly excited to be here either, but I suspect her tears are just so much theater. In contrast, Sophia's face is stuck in the same glower she's worn since Shane interrupted our dance. Madison's sniffles may actually be real, given how she's still holding her side.

"Sit." With how many students go through here a day, you'd think they'd have real chairs. Instead, we all perch on bulk-buy aluminum folding chair. Coach Shane ducks into Principal Blackwell's office, leaving a small crowd of rather rumpled females and one slightly ruffled male. This is one time I wish my wounds still showed. As it is, I probably look like I just beat up a bunch of girls. The secretary is certainly looking at me like that's the case. Shane is back before any of us can escalate beyond glaring around the room. "Miss Hess, Clements, and Barnes, Principal Blackwell will see you now." The other six girls get split up and sent to the Vice Principals' offices. This leaves Taylor and I to awkwardly sit with our muscle-bound coach and the sour-faced secretary, knowing all the while that Dre Tikar are spinning some fantastic tale where the whole thing is our fault.

Taylor is completely still and silent. I want to try and talk to her, to make things better, but there's nothing I can say that would help. Well, nothing I'm going to say with our audience. I expect a good discussion about powers and training would take her mind off things for a few minutes. I can't even dismiss my post-combat pop-ups under this scrutiny.

Coach Shane is staring at me with a weird disappointment/understanding hybrid expression. I don't exactly trust myself to speak just yet, so I quirk an eyebrow. He glances pointedly at Taylor. What does that mean? Is a shrug a good reply? I shrug. And now his eyebrow is up. Nod or shake? Nod. I hope I didn't just confess to shooting JFK or something similar.

"You're going to want to watch your temper, James. Your… new diet is helping you get in better shape, but you don't exactly know your own strength right now. A little rough-housing is understandable from our athletes, but you can't have shit like this on your record if you want to play. You can't _fight_ girls." Glarey the secretary gasps at his language, but just continues fiddling with her mouse.

...does he think this is all my fault, some kind of 'roid rage incident? Is that why Sophia gets away with so much shit? Before I can think too hard on the subject, the inner door pops open again.

 **[Carrie Blackwell]**

 **[Level 26]**

 **[Callous Administrator]**

The Loathsome Three file out past her, each sneering at us in a smug manner. Dammit. They aren't even trying to be subtle.

"Ms. Hebert, Mr. Barron, I'd like to have a word with you."

Game Stats"

* * *

 **[+1 WIS] [+1 Jeet Kune Do] [+1 Physical Resistance] [+3 Dodge] [+2 Sense Danger]**

Author's Note: A reader pointed out that James leveled **[Jeet Kune Do]** past his WIS score during the second Lung fight. I made a extremely small edit to the scene to reflect this.


	31. Special 7: James' Birthday

'Holiday' Special #7: James' Birthday

Everyone has their own birthday traditions. Some people prefer to spend the day in private contemplation, perhaps with a glass of wine. Most enjoy the company of friends and family, with food and presents. Year after year of fighting had left James with a special appreciation for the later.

 **[New Quest Alert: Happy Birthday!]]**

 **[Enjoy your birthday with you friends!]**

 **[Reward: 10,000,000 XP and a day with friends]**

 **[Failure: Unnecessary moping]**

 **[Accept?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

No sooner did he push the button than Taylor approached. "What are you looking so serious about?" She handed him a cup. "It's your birthday! All of us are here today! Stop worrying about the world and join us!"

All was a good word for it. Almost every parahuman peer James had ever befriended was at the party, along with a few he never quite settled things with. Sure there were some divisions between former enemies, but no one was making anything of it.

The Undersiders had taken up residence by the food table. Brian yelped in an unexpected manner as Aisha took his tray of finger foods away and gave it to a surprised Alec. Both guys gave Lisa the stink-eye for laughing at them before registering their vanishing teammates' presence. Rachel simply ignored her noisier comrades as she snuck all the most desirable (and expensive) slices of meat under the table.

The Wards were mostly lingering near the punch bowl, ostensibly to guard it from tampering. Carlos suddenly freezing was the first hint that Dennis was trying something. Dean managed to dodge in time and snatched a flask from the jokester. Chris nearly caught Missy off-guard with a Tinkertech container hidden in his watch, but she bent the flow around and dumped the contents on his head. Just as the more mature Wards were patting themselves on the back, a bolt splashed into the bowl and sprayed rum out. Sophia saluted from the rafters.

The dance floor was dominated by the Travelers. Krouse and Noelle were close dancing, still addicted to being able to touch again. Luke and Oliver looked lost as Jess and Marissa swayed and swirled around them. The girls didn't seem particular about who they were dancing with at any given moment, just enjoying the chance to move.

New Wave was spread all over the warehouse. Eric was trying to work his way into the dancing, focusing his attentions on Jess, all while failing to notice Elle sneaking up on him. In a corner, Crystal and Vicky were competing to see who could get the biggest blush out of Theo. Judging by the state of the poor kid, he'd pass out before they satisfied their competitive drives. The opposite corner held Amy, Lily, and Sabah, whispering and giggling secretively.

Even a few people James couldn't recall by civilian name had showed up. He was fairly certain the cage dancers were Circus and Browbeat. The DJ could only be Rune, given how the vinyl disks floated around her.

The party was perfect. James spent hours enjoying the party. He ate the spectacular food Taylor had **[Cooked]**. He drank with heroes and villains alike, laughing and sharing stories. He danced with every girl at the party. He caught up with old friends.

As the day came to a close, James said goodbye to each guest, one at a time. Instead of leaving though, they all lined up and smiled at him as the goofy grin slowly slid from his face.

"It's time to go now, James." Taylor leaned close, insistently. "It's been a wonderful day, but it's time to get back to work."

"I know." James gazed once more at his gathered friends. "I'll miss you."

 **[Quest Complete!]**

" **[ID Escape]** " And James was alone in an empty warehouse.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry to anyone expecting another light-hearted holiday. I had two ideas, and this one wouldn't have the same impact if it showed up later in the story.


	32. Factions 4-3

Factions 4.3

It goes without saying that I hate being in the principal's office. It doesn't help that I just got a notice that Blackwell considers me a **[Troublemaker]**. Kinda suspected, but didn't now. Think I preferred it that way.

Principal Blackwell is tall and thin and wears all black with one of those bowl cuts that look wrong on either gender. Dirty blonde is the worst color for… okay, red would be worse. Still, it's bad. Her office matches her style. It's stark, black, and ugly. The chairs aren't exactly friendly either. Right angles don't make for good posture, just uncomfortable sitting.

As I try futilely to find a comfortable position, Blackwell just leaves her comfortable looking leather office chair vacant. "Ms. Hebert, I need to search you before we begin."

Uh, what? "What? Why?"

"I'm not required to give a reason. Please hand me your backpack and remove the jacket."

Not 'required' to give a reason? At least that much is bullshit, and I'm not letting her get away with it. "I don't believe you. Lockers are one thing; they're school property. Taylor's backpack is her private property. Without reasonable cause, you have no right to search her property." She starts to say something, but I'm well aware of what most 'authority figures' say when I question them. "And, no, I am _not_ taking your word for it. Taylor shouldn't either."

"It's alright, James. I have nothing to hide." But that's not the point! Taylor just hands over her backpack like this isn't… gah! And Blackwell doesn't just rifle through her things, she empties it out on her desk, inspects every single item, then just leaves it spread out on her desk. At least there wasn't anything interesting in there. Well, other than what looks like an art assignment. Not bad.

"Please stand. I'm going to do a pat down search as well."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're not a cop. You can't just search students for no reason." She'd better not be planning to pull this crap on me next. Even teenage hormones can't make getting felt up by her appealing. "A pat down? That's just wrong. We have rights in this country."

She's frowning at me like _I'm_ the one doing something wrong. "Mr. Barron, if read your student handbook that you signed," I don't recall getting one, but Mom did have me sign a few things at the start of the school year, "you'll find that faculty have broad powers of discretion. Numerous court decisions support that. All that I am required to have is a reasonable suspicion," which you haven't told us yet, "which in this case I have." In this case? As opposed to other occasions? "Ms. Hebert, there have been allegations that you have drugs in your possession." Fucking Trio. "If you're innocent, it is in your best interest to have this allegation addressed. Now, you can either submit to a pat down search by me, or I can have the resource officer and the school nurse perform a strip search in the infirmary. Which do you prefer?"

Fucking bullshit. I'll be looking this crap up as soon as I can. Taylor doesn't deserve this, I _really_ don't think anything those bitches said counts as 'reasonable suspicion', and this is _completely_ ruining any future fantasies involving frisking.

"I'll take the pat down. I have nothing to hide." Taylor twitches slightly.

"Thank you for your cooperative attitude, Ms. Hebert. Mr. Barron, could I ask you to turn and face the wall please?"

Face the wall? Seriously? I'm at least certain she isn't supposed to do this with _any_ male in the room, and she's supposed to have a witness that she doesn't do anything untoward. But Taylor isn't protesting, so I sigh and turn. Who chooses charcoal paint for a room they're going to be in all day? It's really boring. And making it difficult to ignore rustling noises.

"Turn out your pockets, please." Blackwell sounds like she's found something.

"Two hundred and ten dollars, in tens. Freshly pressed, but non-sequential. That's an awful lot of money to be carrying to school." Crap. Taylor has to stash things in real space. That much money does look suspicious. There's a pause before Blackwell presses on. "Care to explain why you're carrying so much cash, Ms. Hebert?"

"I planned to go shopping after school." Taylor is on the ball.

"You can put away your backpack and your cash. I recommend you don't bring that kind of cash to Winslow again. Students have been knifed for less money." I gape at the wall. If you know how bad it is out there, do something about it! It's your damn job!

"You can turn around, James." Taylor is still a little red-faced when I finish resettling. She doesn't deserve to be treated this way.

Blackwell finally sits. She's still focused on Taylor. "So this will be the first time in my office for both of you," No, it isn't, "but not the first incident between you, James, and the three young ladies who just left. I would think you," now she's looking at me, "and Miss Clements had learned your lesson about fighting from your last altercation."

Seriously? She attacked me for trying to help her victim. Everyone knows now that Taylor was in the locker, but she's still acting like that was a fight? Seriously? I just… I… Fuck it. "I didn't start it then, and I didn't start it today." I'd say **[Gamer's Mind]** was keeping me even, but this is just how I try to handle arguments: be oppressively rational, no matter what.

 **[Self-control causes your WIS to go up by 1!]**

"I haven't been here before, Principal Blackwell, but you've spoken to my father before. Or have you completely forgotten the locker incident where the three…" Taylor pauses, clearly censoring herself, "girls that just left your office shut me in my locker and left me to rot in a pile of human waste?"

Oh, look, Blackwell is trying to stare down Taylor. That's funny. "I clearly haven't forgotten that incident. I just referenced it. It is plain to me that there is bad blood between the two of you and Ms. Hess, Ms. Barnes, and Ms. Clements." She's acknowledging it now? "They were wrong to laugh at what happened to you," Wait, what? Is that the story now? "but we investigated," doubt it, "and found zero evidence that they were involved in the planning or execution of that prank was found." Prank? ...unlawful confinement, assault to put her there in the first place, whatever legal term applies to biohazardous waste… If that's a prank, Noah really only needed a mop. "We are not going to rehash what happened in January. We're going to talk about what happened today. Now, which one of you wants to go first?"

What am I supposed to say? 'Crazy bitch was going to punch me, so I punched her first'? Taylor jumps in quickly. "If by bad blood, you mean they've been bullying me for the past year and a half, then yes, there is bad blood between us. Today they pulled one of their usual tricks. Emma, Sophia, and Madison and a bunch of their friends cornered me and started insulting me -"

Blackwell interrupts, "Cornered you, Ms. Herbert? Did they grab you? Were you restrained?" She said 'cornered', you idiot. It was hard enough for me to get past them, and they weren't focused on me. ...did she just say 'HER-bert'? She got it right a moment ago, didn't she?

"It's Hebert. Not Herbert. They weren't holding me in place if that's what you mean. But I would have had to push my way through to get past. I was surrounded." And if she had, they would say _she_ attacked _them_.

"I see," said the willfully blind woman. "Continue."

"Emma said something especially hurtful…" Taylor pauses to rephrase. "We were friends once… She… knows how to twist the knife. She used a personal confidence against me. I was crying," remind me to speak with Emma about that later… "And that's when James came up. He tried to help, and Sophia took exception and tried to punch him, but she missed." Sure, let's call it that. "Then Emma attacked James from behind. I pushed her aside." Oh, that's what that was. Thanks, Taylor. "Tiffany tried to claw my face, and I spun her away. Then several others attacked me and I defended myself."

Our ignoble principal is skeptical. "Pushed her aside? Spun her away? Defended yourself?" Okay, self-defense has never sounded so unacceptable before. "Rather vague answers. I have nine injured girls and neither of you seem hurt at all." Not my fault I don't show wounds and Taylor is awesome. "What did you do to them?"

Kicked their bullying asses? "I threw them. I used Aikido. I've been studying some self-defense."

"Where at?" Please have a good answer, Taylor.

"We were in the hallway outside Mr. Gladly's class." Um… "In fact, you can ask him. He saw me surrounded by all the girls and did nothing." Really? I already thought he was a poor teacher, but this is news…

"I'll be sure to ask Mr. Gladly," Blackwell writes a quick note, "but what I meant was where have you been studying self-defense? I may want to have a word with your instructor about how you've been using his lessons." Come to think of it, I kinda count as her teacher, in a roundabout way. So I guess her instructor approves. Like any decent human should.

"Oh, I don't have a sensei. I've been learning on my own. Just out of a book."

That really doesn't sound convincing, given how much ass she kicked. "Mr. Barron, do you know Aikido as well?"

"Nothing so nice. Taylor's happy moving attackers aside." Hint that Taylor was being gentle. I almost admit to **[Jeet Kune Do]** , but someone might eventually connect the dots. "I'm a bit more direct. Sophia tried to hit me. I just…" Don't say hit her first, "did it better than her." Seriously, self-defense. Not a crime.

"So let me summarize: I have two students that claim that after an exchange of taunts Ms. Hess attacked first, missed, and then all the other girls also attacked first. None of them hurt you two at all, but you injured all of them. Do I have your version correct?" Our _version_? This is worse than trying to explain Madison to Mom.

"You twisted our words around, but mostly."

"Do tell." Has anyone ever used that phrase without being condescending? "How did I twist them?"

Taylor closes off, gives up. She might have a weakness to bullies (which clearly includes Blackheart here), but I don't. I tighten the reins on my voice, she's not getting any excuse to discount what I say now. "Taylor was _crying_ when I arrived. They had her surrounded and Sophia had her foot on Taylor's bag." Just in case she tries to ignore that… "Deliberately. They've been attacking her every day for months and _you_ and the teachers never do _anything_! We told you what happened in January. You ignored us then, and now you're trying to make today sound like our fault. You're just another bully, like them."

"Mr. Barron, you will talk to me in a respectful tone." Respect is earned, and you're not exactly doing any of that now. "This is your chance to tell your side of things. If you raise your voice again, I'll decide based on the facts I already have in hand." Is that a threat? "You won't like that result, either one of you." Did she just try to use Taylor as leverage against me? "Now, to address your point, if there has been months of bullying, why am I just now hearing about it?"

 **[Gamer's Mind]** keeps me from exploding, but leaves me with access to my full scorn for this. "I. Have not. Raised. My. Voice. Yet. If you would like me to raise my voice, I'd be happy to demonstrate the difference." Okay, that's a little too controlled. Deep breath. "What facts? You've only spoken to those liars so far. And did you say you're only hearing about the bullying now? That's a bald-faced lie. I was in this…" fucking. "Very office, three months ago, telling you about the locker." With a broken collarbone, because you wouldn't let anyone call my parents or an ambulance until things were 'sorted out'. "Or have you forgotten all about that?" Because I sure haven't.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[A skill to frighten your opponents or get them to act in a way that benefits you, [Intimidate], as been created.]**

 **[Intimidate (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0% 10 MP]**

 **[+10% to intimidation rolls. Circumstantial and gear bonuses may apply.]**

 **[Requires a verbal threat or display of prowess. Targets must make a save vs. fear.]**

 **[ _Now who's going to clean up that puddle?_ ]**

"We did increase our observation of Ms. Hebert following that incident." Increase? "No bullying was reported to me." Either she's a lying liar that lies, or someone else is covering things up.

Taylor positively blurts out: "I have a journal. Dates, times, email addresses from hate mails, even photographs of bruises going back to the start of this school year." That's… very thorough. And I didn't know about the hate mail. What the actual fuck is wrong with those girls?

Blackheart makes a face, but only for a moment. I bet she didn't expect that. "Ms. Hebert, that won't impact what I will decide today. Documentation like that is good, but you should have been bringing it to the attention of the faculty from the moment it started, There is an escalation path we have to follow: teaching warning, office referral, parent conferences. All of those can prevent things from getting to the sad state they did today. By not involving us earlier, you've made a difficult situation worse." Did she just blame us? "If you'll bring them in, we'll review the incidents, but it's going to be difficult to prove an allegation months after the events. You'll have to start at square one." She's… she's trying to talk Taylor out of proving things by discrediting everything she's done so far.

"I did try to tell at first. No one listened. No one took action. They always took their side." Taylor looks so hurt, I kinda want to hug her. Of course, I'm sure Blackheart here would say that's against the rules somehow.

The principal is completely unsympathetic. "I can assure you, Ms. Hebert, if you make official complaints in writing to the office, they will not be ignored."

Well, if you're going to give me that kind of an opening… "Got a pen I can borrow?"

"We aren't discussing that issue at this time, Mr. Barron." Actually, yeah. We kinda were. "Do you have anything to add in your defense?"

I've got tons of things I'd like to say, but none she'd like to hear. Still, she just handed me that opening. "Yeah. Do your job. If people are allowed to hit me, I'm allowed to hit them back. If those…" bitches, "girls are allowed to attack Taylor, she shouldn't have to just stand there and let them."

 **[Intimidate's level increases by 1!]**

"Anything you would like to add, Ms. Hebert?"

Taylor shrugs the shrug of the truly fed-up. "No."

"Very well. I have nine witnesses that claim that Ms. Hebert was unwelcome and asked to leave and didn't." What do you know, no reflexive snort. I do one on purpose. "The same witnesses say that you struck Ms. Hess first, and then Ms. Hebert shoved Ms. Barnes. I have visible injuries on eight of the nine girls. Both sides have made more severe allegations, but this is America, and here at Winslow we assign punishments based on evidence." What 'evidence'? "The other nine girls will all be suspended for a day. Before you argue about this being a token punishment, this can impact their eligibility for extracurricular activities."

"So Sophia might not be able to compete in track? I'll believe it when I see it," Taylor's skeptical. Good. I wouldn't believe this woman if she told me Scion saves lives, let alone that she'd ever actually punish her star runner.

If Justice is blind, her delinquent kid sister, Injustice, is deaf. Blackwell completely ignores Taylor. "You two, as the instigators, are suspended for a week." Fu- wait, it's not really that bad. I hear they won't even count any assignments from that week as late. This just gives me a week of morning training sessions. Unless my parents find out. Grounding is one thing, no one will notice if I'm not actually sulking in my room. And that's with me sharing a bedroom. But if I don't have school, Mom will probably insist on having me spend the day in her office. "That's not optional on my part. We have too much gang activity here. I will not tolerate fighting in my school. When you return, I'll be glad to look at this journal, Ms. Hebert. I don't tolerate bullying either, but I demand evidence." Unless the accusation is made by her pet psychopaths. "Do you two understand?"

"Yes." Taylor packs a _lot_ of meaning into one word.

There's so much more I want to say, but there's no point. Nothing I can do now. "...Yes."

Blackwell seems satisfied by that. "Then you're dismissed. Go see Alice and she'll give you the paperwork for your suspension. Make sure you have it signed by your parents." I can probably forge that. Might get a skill out of it... "Alice will be calling them this afternoon." F-f-fuck. She pointedly ignores us, swiveling to her computer.

Taylor leads the way out. The only stop between us and freedom is grabbing our suspension forms. Paperwork, for being punished. Recursively evil.

I'm just taking a moment to appreciate the freedom in the air when Taylor whispers sideways, "Sorry that I dragged you into that."

"Don't be. It's not _your_ fault." It's more my fault than hers. And it's not really my fault either. Even if I did punch Sophia.

 **[New Quest Alert: Bring Justice to Winslow]**

 **[Reveal Emma Barnes, Sophia Hess and Madison Clements as the lying bullies they are.]**

 **[Reward: 10,000 XP, Increased reputation with Winslow Staff and Winslow Students, matching piece of equipment, and the satisfaction of justice being done.]**

 **[Failure: Humiliation, injury, criminal charges, and/or loss of reputation with Winslow Staff and Winslow Students]**

 **[Bonus Goals: Reveal the complicity of Winslow Staff ]**

 **[Bonus Reward: 10,000 XP, Increased reputation with ?, Increased relationship with ?]**

 **[Accept?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

"Oh hell yes! Tell me you got that quest, too." There's that grin again. I'm glad my power can help in this way, along with everything else.

"Now that's my kind of quest. We should go somewhere private and plan out how to finish it."

I've known Taylor for years. I'd forgotten just how wide her mouth is. Just one of the things you get used to, I guess. But right now, she's beaming in a way most faces couldn't handle. "Let's go to my place. My dad shouldn't be home for at least a few more hours. I'll even **[Cook]** , I got a skill for it earlier."

"Nice." Considering just how absurd these skills get… "Well, if you want help grinding that up, I'd be happy to lend you my stomach."

"Speaking of new skills, I got **[Sprint]** this morning."

I love my power. "Race you?" Taylor beats me by a second, but the two levels I earn on **[Sprint]** is more than enough consolation prize for me.

..ooOoo..

The first visit to someone's house is always awkward. Especially when the only other person there has abandoned me in the living room while she cooks lunch. I don't know what I'm allowed to touch, there's no one to talk to, and I don't know where the restroom is. Not exactly a pressing need or anything, but I like to know where it is. I only last a minute or two before following Taylor to the kitchen. She's carefully scooping tomatoes out of a pot of boiling water with a wooden spoon and peeling them.

"So, I've been thinking. We've each got a couple hundred to burn; how about we go shopping after lunch? We could both use a **[First Aid]** skill and **[Parkour]** seems like an essential skill for any cape who can't fly. And who knows what else we might find?" On a whim, I start retrieving the tomatoes with my bare hands. **[-14 HP]** Ow. This may not have been my best idea. **[-14 HP]**

"What are you doing?!" Taylor's shock takes me a moment to process.

" **[Elemental Resistance]** training?" A pop-up tells me it's working.

She rolls her eyes. "Try not to do something like that around other people." She starts pulping the skinned tomatoes, then pauses. "That's just not fair. If I trained like that, I'd be lucky to just burn my hands and put myself out of action for days." She gives that a moment to sink in before changing the topic. "Don't forget the skill cap. We're going to have to be selective about what skills we get. Like this," she gestures at the red pulp before scrapping it into a saucepan. " **[Cooking]** isn't a bad skill, but I don't want all my **INT** going to housewife skills. No matter how useful they are."

"I've still got about ten left, but I get your point. Maybe we should take turns trying out different chores. See which chores are safe to do and which skills are worth earning? And if one of us finds anything useless, the other can just avoid it. I'll even go first."

"That's not a bad idea. You can start with the dishes."

* * *

Game Stats

 **[+2 Intimidate]** , **[+2 Sprint]** , **[+Elemental Resistance]** , **[+1 WIS]**

* * *

Author's Note: I just got an anonymous review that was based on a misunderstanding - at no point has this story been determined by


	33. Factions 4-4

Factions 4.4

Taylor fiddles with the stove a bit before turning her attention to shredding some lettuce into a large bowl. "Hey, speaking of skills. I had a revelation today. With your power high school has just become irrelevant to both of us."

I've seen just what happens to the uneducated in this town, and if you want to go to college, you've got to... "How's that? We still kinda need diplomas."

"Just that we can get more than a high school education in a few weeks by memorizing the right books. I already know more about **[Computer Programming]** by downloading that book than I'll in learn Ms. Knott's entire class. I'm sure we could find skill books to cover our other courses."

"Huh." Guess that's true enough. I wouldn't exactly call Winslow educational. At least not in a traditional sense. But getting good grades and a scholarship (or two) is the only way I'll be able to afford college. Also, pretty sure the better colleges don't accept a GED. "I'm not sure about the skill books. None of my text books are skill books, and I received a quest that gave me the **[Biology]** skill today." Are ours books just shitty, or are some things easier to learn through practice? Come to think of it, does it really matter what college I go to? Attending a college in a different city might not mesh well with being a superhero and trying to maintain a secret identity.

Taylor moves on to washing a cucumber. "But we know we can learn **[Anatomy 25]** from Gray's Anatomy." She slices the cucumber rapidly. In context of **[Anatomy]** , that's a little scary…

"You've got a point, but **[Anatomy]** and **[Biology]** aren't exactly the same thing." Biology class spends a lot of time on habitats and interspecies interactions. "And some classes might take more than one skill. Who knows how many we'd need to cover everything. Beyond that, we'd still need to go to school." Still need a scholarship. Money doesn't just… appear… from… nowhere. Huh. Guess it kinda does, for me at least.

"Do we?" Taylor turns the two words into the start of an impassioned plea. "What good is it doing us? Why don't we just drop out? Pick up the skills to cover our classes, level them up, then take our GEDs. At the rate we're increasing skills we don't need Winslow. It's not like I'm getting an education there anyway. James, Winslow is holding us back. Think of how much we learned in two days. What if we could do that everyday? What kind of heroes would we become?"

"Oh, yeah." No more wasted time at Winslow. Seven extra hours every day to train or fight crime. And I don't think there's a college in town that _doesn't_ accept GEDs. Probably cheaper that way, too. Just one problem. "Can we even drop out? Don't we have to be seventeen?" Don't think Mom would sign that paperwork for me.

"Like Winslow would care," she scoffs. "I'm sure we can find a home school program or something to cover it." The salad goes onto the table and Taylor bends to root around under the counter.

Hey oh! Let's check out that salad. Pretty simple, but that's the beauty of salads. "You're probably right about that. I bet the PRT could give us some options when we join the Wards."

She straightens up and starts filling a pot with water, completely silent. Once it's full enough, she faces me, face suspiciously blank. "What do you mean, _when_ we join the Wards?"

"After Lung, I thought you'd be all for it. We nearly died. Hell, I was under **10 HP** at one point. We'd be safer with a team backing us up." We might be improving really fast, but we need help if we're going to survive this town.

Taylor moves the pot to the stove and turns another burner on before replying. "We need to be more careful, but that doesn't mean joining a team. Not necessarily. You have **[ID Create]**. We can run from any fight that turns bad. Also if we spend a few weeks training up, we'd be better heroes. We don't need the Wards."

"We'd still have those advantages, plus teammates if we joined." What are they going to do, tell me to not use my awesome training powers?

"Have you forgotten what we talked about?" She really sounds upset. "Once you join the Wards, the Protectorate will learn how your powers work. They'll use you to power up their other capes."

I've been thinking about it, and as long as I can still contribute directly… "Probably. We're kinda already doing that." Not to draw attention to it or anything, but Taylor is like twice the level she was on Friday. "And helping out the Wards feels like the right thing to do."

"If they let you stay here with the Wards. James, they might take you away." She sounds really worried.

"Maybe, but it's not like they're Empire Eighty-Eight or the ABB." They aren't going to lock me up somewhere and force me to boost an endless stream of faceless capes. "They're the good guys. Besides, I've got my Illusion Barriers. I bet I could get away if I really had to." Not exactly likely anyone can crash my private dimension, especially not before I escape whatever constraints I'm left in. Okay, shackles could be a problem. Maybe I should try to find an **[Escape Artist]** book.

"Did you forget last night already?" Hey, that's my argument for joining! "The Protectorate is led by people like Armsmaster. he didn't listen to us at all. What makes you think it will be different? People in power - they don't really care about people like us, James. Why do you think I'm ignored at Winslow? They'll use you up."

...can I be used up? My power seems to quantify everything, and I don't have a gauge or anything for how much improvement I can dish out. Of course, it's possible it's something invisible, like the maximum XP in the Baldur's Gate games. I'll check the book later. "Honestly, I think you're overreacting a bit. They can't all be that bad." Miss Militia was completely cool about ignoring me putting my foot in it last night. One of two Protectorate members was nice. Okay, that's actually really bad. "But I get it. I get why you don't trust people in authority. So no Wards. At least not yet." Maybe once we meet a few more heroes and she sees that Armsmaster is the exception, not the rule.

"Well. Good." Taylor doesn't sound convinced. She finishes cooking without another word. I'm not sure what to say, so I just sit at the table quietly. It's an awkward few minutes before she slides a plate towards me and smiles weakly. "It's simple, but I hope you like it."

Oh wow. My mouth is completely watering. "I'm sure that I will. It smells great." There's not much to say while eating, but it's still tense. At least the food is good.

Taylor finally breaks the silence. "So… I told my father about my powers."

"So, how did it go?" Hopefully her dad is more like my dad than my mom.

"He freaked." Crap. "He basically told me we were stupid for fighting Lung." Oh. That's not so bad. "Didn't matter that we won. About the only thing he liked was that I've got the beginning of a partnership worked out with Parian. He really wants me to be a rogue rather than a hero."

That's one way of staying out of the Wards. "Ouch. At least you were able to tell on of your parents. I don't think my mom would take it well." Understatement. I'm not exactly sure how she'd react, but all things considered...yeah, wouldn't be pretty. "And my dad would tell her sooner or later. So did you tell him about me?"

"I told him about Beetle Knight, but no details…" I wonder if there's a proper etiquette for dealing with the parents of your superheroic colleagues? "It's just my dad. My mother passed away a couple of years ago. Automobile accident."

My foot spends more time in my mouth than on the floor these days. "Crap. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" There's nothing I can say here.

"No, it's okay."

It really can't be. That was so fucking thoughtless. At least it was an honest accident. If I knew her better… Oh, hell no. "Emma." She knew.

"What about her?"

"That's what the **[Treacherous Bitch]** meant when she said 'cry for a week'. She was talking about… fuck." And I just brought that up again. I'm such an ass.

"Yes. Like I told Blackwell, she knows all my secrets and how to use them to hurt me the most." Her eyes are watering.

"Dammit, calling her a supervillain was too nice. That was…" There has to be a word for this… "Inexcusable. Like Slaughterhouse 9 inexcusable. We're going to complete that quest and see all three of them get what's coming to them. The bitches three are going to pay."

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!]**

"Good." There's approval in Taylor's voice. And the vicious grin on her face. "So got any ideas?"

"A few." I never really stop thinking, even if it's frequently… off topic. This has been running in the background all day. "Blackwell claimed that we can make a complaint in writing. Considering how that meeting went, I don't think we can trust anything to come of that. But things could go smoother if we try to dot all our 'i's and cross our 't's. We file a report with her and she can't complain if we go over her head later. But we're going to have to make it good. The more evidence the better. The journal you mentioned is a good start. Blackwell slammed us on he said/she said because it's just the two of us, but it isn't really. Cera, that... large girl who's slept with half the chess club is a favorite target of Madison's." First noticed that one around mid-October. I'm not really that observant, but I was chatting with her. Okay, I was… considering. Unpopular teen boy here, emphasis on 'unpopular' and 'teen'. "Tony, you know, the junior varsity quarterback, is… um… I think Sophia 'likes' him. It's not pretty." I think he'd be happier with Cera after him. "And _everyone_ picks on Greg. But I wouldn't use him as a witness. He makes an artform out of being unsympathetic." I bribed a few guys to stop swirlying him once. Let's just say I want a refund.

 **[Dues to careful planning, your WIS has increased by 1!]**

Whew, take a breath. Okay, continue. "There's a few others, but no one else gets it as bad. We can get old pocket voice-recorders, pre-digital, for something like twenty bucks." I'm pretty sure anything they say in the halls counts as 'public'. "Those bitches are sure to try something like today again, and next time we'll have them. If that isn't enough to get the school system to work, we take it to the cops. Then the media. Oh, and we should get a lawyer. Or a **[Law]** skill. Just to make sure everything is in order." Come to think of it, a lawyer will want to review the evidence. If there's anything in Taylor's notebook about her powers, it's going to be extra dicey putting it on the record without revealing anything extra. "Hey, do you mind if I take a look at that journal you mentioned?"

"I'll get it, and it's okay if you read it." The reluctance is expected. I'd have a hard time sharing something like that with anyone. "I meant it as a weapon against them, but I don't want to discuss it, you know?"

"I get it." Really. I'm sure I've only seen a fraction of what she was put through, and I can't even imagine what it was like in her place. There's no way she would want to relive all of that, rehash it. "How about I put it in my inventory and look at it later? No discussion, just want to know what we've got to work with."

"Yeah. That might be best."

Come to think of it, notebooks are just so much paper. Paper burns. It tears. It gets lost… "And we should make copies and keep the original. I wouldn't put it past Blackwell to 'lose' it or claim she never got it in the first place."

"I could so see that happening. For that matter the trio have a talent for stealing my things from my locker and my backpack. If they knew I had a journal of all their shit, they'd try to get their hands on it. I don't know if they'd go as far as breaking into my house, but I wouldn't put it past them. I know damn sure they can't steal it from your pocket dimension." With those _encouraging_ words, Taylor heads up the stairs.

At least this time I have something to do. Soap, sponge, fresh dishes, done in a matter of seconds. But the sponge is still soapy and there are a few other things in the sink. Might as well.

"I was joking about the dishes." Taylor sets a simple composition notebook on the counter with a nod.

Geeze, make some noise, would ya? "I wasn't. You cooked." I gesture towards her and some suds launch themselves at her, but thankfully fall short. I've got the dishes. So, as soon as these are done, you want to go shop for books?"

"Um, maybe." Maybe? Before I can respond, the phone rings and Taylor grabs it. "Hello, Hebert residence." I don't think I'll ever enjoy listening to just one side of a phone conversation. Taylor looks bemused by whatever she's hearing on the other end of the line. "Really? Well, you can be sure I'll have a word with her about that. I'll make sure the paper is signed. Thank you for calling." Tell _her_? "Winslow. I'll tell my father, I guess. They'll probably call your home as well."

Oh. "Crap. Mind if we swing by my house on the way to the bookstore? I need to erase that message off the answering machine." They already want my parent's signature, do they really have to call as well?

Taylor shrugs, unconcerned. "You're not going to tell them?"

Fuck no. "Not if I don't have to. If my mom knows I'm not in school, she'll make me come with her to the office every day." Mom works as a shared secretary for the Internship Coordination office for Medhall. I've spend so many hours reading outdated magazines and listening to college students panic about graduation requirements. The only real upside is that a few of the other workers drag their kids in on occasion. Even though she's a year or two younger than me, Cynthea was a lot of fun to hang out with until recently. Somehow the friendly tomboy became a stuck-up prep. "That's just a waste of a week off school. Besides, didn't you want to get more training in?"

"Detour to the Barron residence approved." Well, she seems really happy about it.

"Awesome." I rinse off the last plate and put it aside.

 **[A new skill has been created through repeated action.]**

 **[A skill to clean soiled dishes, {Dishwashing}, has been created.]**

 **[Dishwashing (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0%]**

 **[A technique to wash dishes.]**

 **[With more mastery, you can clean any dirty spots. 5% increase in dish washing speed.]**

I didn't actually expect that. "Looks like it was a good thing that I did the dishes. I just got a **[Dishwashing]** skill."

Taylor thinks it's a joke until I read the skill description off. Then she commiserates with me over the waste of a slot, but isn't that bad. The less time it takes me to wash dishes, the better. And maybe there's something in the book about deleting useless skills. And apparently I hadn't mentioned the book to her before. Oops. Taylor also has a few things to catch me up on.

"Let me see. My father wants to meet you." What's she been telling him? "As Beetle Knight. Miss Militia wants to set a time for both of us to meet the Wards." Excellent. That should help Taylor reconsider things. And maybe I can get Clockblocker to sign the sticker. "Tattletale wants to meet both of us." Ooooh. Maybe I should brush my teeth while we're at my place? "Oh, and I picked up some kind of earring loot from Lung and I have no clue what it does."

First things first. "Your father wants to meet…" Me? That's ominous. Never done a meet the parents before. Oh, right, "Beetle Knight?"

"Relax," Taylor holds up a placating hand. "We took down Lung. Surely, my father is less scary than a fire-breathing man-dragon?"

Well, when you put it that way… I wobble my knees and add a tremor to my voice. "I'm not sure about that."

Taylor doesn't play along. "I'll tell you about all those on the way to your house. Let me grab my costume first though." She takes a half-step away and pushes open a door to a set of dark stairs leading under the house. Looks dusty. "Do you want to see my basement workshop? Most people would probably find it creepy. I've got several thousand spiders down there spinning silk for me, and most of them are black widows." Okay, I guess she is playing along.

"Sounds cool. Unless you've suddenly lost control of them. Lead the way, Lolth." Almost went with 'Mistress of Spiders', but remembered the evil goddess at the last second.

"Lolth?" Sounds like Taylor doesn't get it.

People say explaining ruins the joke. Not true. _Over-explaining_ ruins the joke. "Demon Queen of the Spiders, Mother of the Drow, that Lolth." There. Just enough explanation.

The basement has less spiders in it than I was expecting. There's dozens of projects strewn across the room, lines of gold and yellowish grey stretching across counters and from rafters, but it's not like the room is _covered_ in them. Still wouldn't want to be down here without a bug controller, but I can easily walk around without stepping on anything. Mostly, it just looks like a basement: dusty, filled with boxes, and only half-finished. Still, it's cool watching a cluster of black widows scramble around each other, weaving a delicate-looking cord. They're faster than I'd expect. Could be finished in a matter of hours. "Damn. This is impressive. Hail Lolth, Queen of the Demonweb Pits."

"Yes, yes, and you're making her majesty angry. Who is this Lolth person?"

And sometimes the joke really does need more explaining. Still, better keep it short. People complain when I ramble. "Lolth is a spider deity in D&D," please don't tell my mom I know that, "the evil goddess that the Drow worship." Well, the big one.

"I'm going to be sorry I asked, but what are Drow? Some kind of spider people?" Really? Her dad is cool with her presumably playing Dungeons and Dragons, but she doesn't even… Merf. She has a right to not be interested. Even if she's wrong. And a little fixated on spiders.

"Not quite. Drow are dark elves. Sometimes Lolth turns them into spider people called Driders, which are like spider centaurs." Should I mention Driders are like 99% male? Nah. "The Drow themselves are like the opposite of Lord of Rings elves." Well, the High Elves. Not that she'd know the difference between High and Forest, not with her unfamiliar with Drow. "Evil, black-skinned, white-haired, and kinda BDSM-y." ...I just mentioned BDSM. Why didn't I just say 'leather-obsessed'? Quick, say something less sexual. "Oh, and they're matriarchal. Women have all the power, men exist to serve them." In the bedroom. Crap. That wasn't much better.

"Well, at least they got something right." Good, ignore the awkward sex references.

Now, to shift focus before she catches on. "So…" I gesture towards a more complex, grid-like web. "What do you have them making?"

Taylor lights up in that 'someone asked about my unusual hobby' way. "Well first of all, they made me these three replacement skirt-nets and some silken cords so I can **[Entangle]** zombies again." Well, that explains that. "Over there is another silken cord being woven. Strands to threads, threads to cords, and eventually cords to rope. Next time we fight Legion Zombie, I plan to have a rope with us."

"Next time?" Wait, I was already thinking about farming it for tuition. And I might get another skill book. "You know, that's a great idea. The loot was awesome, and it should be much easier to kill now. We already have a strategy that works and we leveled up a LOT from beating Lung. And we won't even have to sacrifice your skirts. How long until you have the rope done?"

Taylor pauses for a thoughtful moment before answering. "I already had my spiders weaving this morning, they're pretty tapped out. Probably two more production runs, one later today, one tomorrow and I'll have my rope. Another day if we want to play it safe and have two ropes."

"Good call, boss, I'm all for playing it safe." Actually, I'd rather not wait, but I have been dragging Taylor headlong into messes lately. Better to slow down for a bit. Still, there has to be something else we can do for training. "Oh, and I've got other dungeons than just Zombies now. I think beating the Legion Zombie unlocked a Ghost dungeon," not sure where else it could have come from, "and beating Lung gave me a Dragon Yakuza dungeon. Now that we know there are bosses, we don't want to kill too many at once, but we could give those a try." Not really interested in fighting another dragon boss until I've got some more fire resistance.

"Really?" Taylor sounds very happy to have options other than the reeking dead. "Cool. We'll have to be careful scouting them. Can we even hurt a ghost? Will they be intangible? Or more like floating jello? And they'll probably be higher level, won't they?" Wow. Didn't know she could babble like that.

Let's see, what were the questions again? Jello? Some games let you damage ghosts with normal weapons or fire, so, "Maybe? I'm not sure, but we can always run away as long as the boss hasn't shown up yet. And yeah, but higher level means better loot."

"Okay then," she nods firmly. "Checking them out definitely goes on our to-do list. Right after getting some skill books. Damn, we've got a lot to do today. I'll get these guys to wrap things up and we'll get moving."

Given how spiders eat, that's an interesting wording. "Okay, as long as I'm not one of the things they're wrapping up."

"Not unless you keep up the puns." Hey, I'm a superhero now. Puns are _required_! "It will be just a few minutes. Plus we have a few things we can cross off the list." As the myriad arachnids finished or simply concealed their projects, Taylor fished around in a pile of fabric, her costume I guess, and fished out a few things. "These are for you, I guess they're **[Dragon Scales]** and used for crafting. I don't know what this earring does."

Ooh, jewelry! Hey, it's not weird if it follows RPG rules. I absently confirm the scales and their current uselessness before tucking them into my inventory. Let's see here... the earring is a big off-white white fang dangling from a silver hoop. " **[Observe]**."

 **[Dragonfang Earring]**

 **[Type: Accessory; Quality: Rare]**

 **[A simple earring made from a from a dragon's fang. Provides a 25% resistance to fire.]**

Nice. That will help a lot the next time I face someone with fire powers. Or a flamethrower. Or most explosives. With this I can… crap. I've already got **[Elemental Resistance]** and **[Gamer's Body]**. _Taylor_ is flammable and scars. I read off the stats for her benefit. "And… it's yours." That hurt. Like, really hurt to give up.

"What do you mean it's mine? Are you sure?" Don't tempt me.

"Completely. You can't use the more…" awesome? magical?, "exotic skill books, so you've been kinda screwed over with the loot so far. And I just made myself some stuff from the blueprints the zombies dropped." And now I'm feeling shitty for being selfish about that. "Once we get in another run or two, I'll make you a set."

Taylor doesn't look convinced, but she still takes the fang and switches it out with a stud from her right ear. Huh. Didn't really notice that before. "Okay. How's it look?"

Kinda lopsided, and danglier than I usually like, but it isn't terrible. Kinda edgy, really. "Gives you a bit of a rebel look. I like it." I play up my approval a little bit for her sake.

"Really?" I give her a little nod. "Right. So… I think my spiders can close up from here. Let's get going to your house. We can walk this time. Got a lot to got over. Speaking of which. What did you get from that book Lung dropped?"

...I forgot. "Doh. The book teaches **[Dragon's Scales]** , and I haven't learned it yet! I'm going to do that now." Before I can get distracted again. " **[Inventory]**." I fish the scaley book out and switch to the **[Dragon Slayer]** title. Click **[Yes]** , ride the rush of non-Euclidean colors and coppery shapes deliciously engrave a new equation into my brain. "It's kinda like **[Zombie's Hide]** , but it gives more armor and has fire resistance instead of others. And they can't stack. Which kinda sucks, but I'm not complaining." I feel a little better about giving up the earring now.

Taylor loads her backpack with her hero gear, the bat hanging out a bit. On the way back to my house, she tells me that switching clothes through the **[Inventory]** cleans them off, but doesn't fix them. If my clothes hadn't been crisped, I could have used that. Still, it'll come in handy later. I try to explain the odd mix of mundane and fantastic involved in **[Crafting]** , but it doesn't seem like I'm doing a good job of it. I try to make up for it by asking Taylor to tell her dad I'll can come by and meet him at five tomorrow. Should still give me time to get home before the parents do, and Andy probably won't notice if I'm not there to fight over who gets to play on the computer. We both want to meet the Wards tomorrow, and while I'd like to see Tattletale again, I'd really like to see exactly what she said first. She may be friendly, and I'll admit an attraction, but she's still a villain.

As expected, no one is home at just a little after two. I let us both in and waved Taylor towards the living room. "We can use my family's computer, but we'll need to be quick." Andy might decide to ditch his last class (again) and I don't need the kind of crap I get from bringing someone home with getting permission. Especially a girl. Especially since I've never… had a girl over. "So this is the Barron residence, don't mind the mess. Bathroom is at the end of the hall if you need it. I'm going to go clear the answering machine. Do you want water or anything?" We actually have 'or anything' for once.

"No, I'm fine."

There's only one message on the machine, and it only takes a moment to confirm it's the right one. Beep, one problem down. Taylor is still standing when I get back to the living room. Of course, given just how old and shabby the furniture is, I'd be wary of sitting on it if I didn't live here. "Found a message from Winslow and took care of it. So, um, computer this way in Wil- the library." Will and Nick don't exactly have a claim on the room anymore.

Taylor is polite enough to not comment on the overflowing laundry hamper in the hall, or the piles of boxes cluttering the 'library'. I take a seat in front of the moderately obsolete computer and wake it up. "It's password protected, if barely. But I think Dad uses this password elsewhere, so I'll log on, then we can swap and you can log onto PHO."

"We don't have to swap places. I trust you to have my back against Lung, so I think I can trust you with my PHO account. It's Lady_Bug: capital L, capital B, underscore in-between. Password is Dickens with a capital D." Taylor parks behind me.

I pop open a window and log in. "You really didn't have to tell me that. Why Dickens?"

"Literary reference. _A Tale of Two Cities_. 'It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.' Seems to fit how I felt about triggering." Yikes. That's… got some weight to it. And here I was thinking it was an ' _A Christmas Carol_ ' reference.

Don't make a big deal of it. Change topic. "Oh. I did something similar with my user name." Come to think of it, "I should probably make a cape account later. And we're in."

Floral-scented curls cover half my face for a moment before Taylor pushes her hair back. "Um, sorry."

"It's okay?" I scoot a little to the side so she won't have to lean over me as I pull up the PM she indicates. It's pretty vague. "So, Tattletale says she owes us two and wants to repay? We should take her up on it. I know she's a villain, but she's also a Thinker." I can think of a few ways she could repay us. And _most_ of them involve her powers. "She might have some ideas on paying back the bullies and a different perspective on trusting the Wards."

Taylor is quick to provide a counterpoint. "On the other hand, she's a Thinker. If we give her clues, she could quickly find our true identities."

"But she owes us. And if it's that easy for her to find us, she'll do it anyway." Besides, I'm sure she's too smart to flaunt the unspoken rules like that. "Isn't it better to keep things friendly, at least for now?" Until we catch her committing a crime or something?

"Okay, go ahead and write her, but we don't give her any clues about how your powers work." I get it. You don't have to look so stern. "Understand?"

Reading the message is one thing. "Okay, but I'm not typing PMs for you. Swap." I delicately slide past her.

"Fine." She's a faster typist than me, so I don't quite catch everything as I'm reading the original messages. I _do_ get that she asks 'AllSeeingEye' when and where she wants to meet. Then she writes a second message to Miss Militia, offering to meet her and the Wards tomorrow, if possible. As she hits 'send', an alert pops up. "Weird. I have another message. Huh, Tattletale already replied."

Taylor doesn't _read_ faster than me though.

Private message from AllSeeingEye

Subject: Proposed Meet

U can't dismiss a debt so easily. I'll meet you at the same spot we crossed paths last night, k? Don't have to get gussied up if you catch my drift. I'll be in casual wear. We could meet at 3. That will give you enough time to get there from your neighborhood with everything you need. Let me know.

Tt

"How the fuck does she know how long it will take us to get there?" I don't think I've heard her cuss like that before.

"That's a good fucking question." I may be a bad influence. "I guess the best way to find out is to meet her."

Taylor mumbles something under her breath, but shoots a confirmation message back at Tattletale. "We should go in costume. There's no reason to risk it before we've gotten a better feel for her."

Unless she's planning on screwing us. Over. Screwing us over, we'll be seeing her face whether or not we show her ours. "I'm not sure there's anywhere I'd want to change into costume in broad daylight, so maybe we could change here and use Illusion Barriers to get there unnoticed?" I back up a step so Taylor has room to stand and she gives me a LOOK. What? Oh, right. "That door's the bathroom."

"I'll be right back." She even locks the door.

Well, to each their own. And this gives me a chance to try out my first macro. " **[Beetle Knight, Stag Mode!]** " Works like a charm. My whole outfit changes at once. Wow, the **[Undead Shirt]** is a bit more form-fitting than I'd expected. I've never worn something I can see my abs through. Of course, I've never had abs like this before. The pauldrons look exactly as awesome as expected. Not that they look any different when worn.

"Did you say something?" And now Lady Bug is in my house. There's a superheroine coming out of the bathroom. In my house. Wei- no, weird is insufficient. Trippy?

It only takes a moment to explain macros to Taylor and open an empty Illusion Barrier. "We can…" We don't need to climb out the window, "go now."

In an empty, illusory city, **[Sprinting]** just feels more natural. Totally has nothing to do with being unnerved by the silence. And I get another level in the skill. We only get about two, two and a half blocks before things kinda haze as we reach the edge of the dungeon. Definite upside of living in a city? There's always an alley nearby.

" **[ID Escape]**. Hey, since we're making good time, how about we try running through the Ghost Barrier? Just to get an idea what it's like." Don't really have time to go for a real fight, but it would be nice to have a better idea what we're facing for later.

It's really hard to tell why with masks on, but Taylor pauses a moment before hesitantly agreeing, "Okay, but we keep moving. And don't forget to **[Observe]** them."

I bounce a salute into my customary 'raised hand' pose before grabbing Taylor's hand.. " **[ID Create: Ghost]**!" Just like that, all the traffic noise disappears. Along with the few pedestrians I can see just beyond the alley. Hadn't seen that before.

 **[Restless Ghost]**

 **[Level 12]**

The ghosts aren't all identical, but they do all skew towards RPG typical. Flowing, tattered robes wrapped in dark chains, all hazy and indistinct around the edges. Under the hoods, though… dark pits where eyes should be. It's one thing to see on a computer or television screen. In person… I've got **[Gamer's Mind]**. Taylor doesn't. "It's okay. Most of them are level 12, only a few are 13. It'll be a complete walk in the park. **[Observe]**."

 **[Observe's level has increased by 1!]**

 **[Restless Ghost Lvl 13]**

 **[HP: 650/650 MP: 1300/1300]**

 **[A wandering spirit. No matter how it died, it resents the living, attacking them to rip their spirits and bodies apart. Lacking a corporeal form, it cannot be harmed by purely physical attacks or do physical damage without spending MP.]**

Um… maybe special attacks count because they use **MP**? I silently **[Power Strike]** the nearest specter in the face.

 **[-200 MP]**

Wait… **MP** damage? That's weird. And if I can't hurt them... "Nope. Nevermind. It's immune. Let's just…" Taylor is already running, trailing ghosts. I have to activate **[Sprint]** just to catch up to her. Her cloak billows majestically as she beats a tactical retreat.

"There! Get us out of here!" Taylor emphatically points to the next alley as I pull along her.

" **[ID Escape!]** " The spirits vanish, and a pair of… preoccupied college students appear, enthusiastically necking against a dumpster. They don't even look up. " **[ID Create]**. Maybe we should leave that one alone. But the Dragon barrier can't be tha-"

"No." I don't need to see Taylor's face for that one.

"Bu… okay." We don't say much else as we dash across town, but we do each make it to level 6 on **[Sprint]** before Taylor says she's at her limit. Considering her higher **VIT** , I guess **[Gamer's Body]** is helping somehow. I also earn another two levels on **[ID Create]** and **[ID Escape]** from all the barriers.

Taylor signals me about a block before the alley. "Alright, this is close enough. Bring us out between the dumpsters. I'll locate her with **[Combat Mapping]** and make sure she's alone."

Thankfully, it's actually empty in this alley. There's not much for Beetle Knight to do while Lady Bug is handling reconnaissance, so I awkwardly try to find a place to put my hands without looking like a tool. Pockets is too relaxed. Hips feels too much like the 'Superman pose' for me. I settle on 'parade rest', both hands folded in the small of my back and feet shoulder-width apart.

"Looks good from here," Taylor interrupts my experimenting. "I want to check the far side. Open an empty zone and we'll go to that narrow side alley where we spied on the meet." 'Before you pulled that boneheaded charge on Lung' goes unspoken. We relocate the short distance quickly, and Taylor must have have sent some bugs ahead, because it takes her less time to speak up this time. "Okay, all clear as far as I can see. I'll use some bug arrows to have her join us… no, it's a bit narrow to meet here. Looks like we'll have to meet her on the roof. There aren't any other places to meet around here without being seen."

"I'll go first?" I wait a moment before jumping the first few feet up the ladder. Hate ladders. Taylor is up only a moment behind me. After a second's consideration, she sits on a air conditioner with her cloak spread regally behind her, bat across her knees. I loom over her right shoulder in my spiffy new pose. It's not bad for short notice, I hope.

A blonde head peers over the edge of the roof, a smirk already on her lips. Huh. Didn't expect the freckles. Guess they were covered by her mask last night. Very cute.

 **[Sarah "Lisa Wilbourn" Livesey]**

 **[Level 28]**

 **[Smart Ass]**

Body follows head. She's wearing a purple blouse with just a hint of cleavage. Huh, think that's the same shade as her costume. In case we didn't realize it was her? Her jeans look snug enough to make scaling the ladder difficult. Nice. And oops.

"Lady Bug, Beetle Knight, I'm glad you were at least willing to meet with me. While I really am serious about owing you both, I need to ask for your help first."

* * *

Game Stats

 **[+1 Dishwashing]** , **[+1 Observe]** , **[+2 ID Create]** , **[+2 ID Escape]** , **[+4 Sprint]**

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, various things conspired to delay this chapter. While it's still the second longest chapter so far , I ended up cutting it a little shorter than planned so it could be posted a few hours before the holiday special. I know (more than) a few readers would be rather upset if the first post in over two weeks was one of those.


	34. Special 8: Valentine's Day

Holiday Special #8: Valentine's Day

After nearly a year of power shenanigans, James wasn't really surprised to get a quest on Valentine's Day. And frankly, it could have been much worse. An unspecified loss of reputation was little weird for a failure penalty these days, but the task would be easy enough and he didn't exactly mind the rewards. How hard could it be to find 144 **[Perfect Red Roses]** and 12 **[Fancy Ribbons]**? Besides, he'd already made sure to tell all his teammates that they didn't need to try to include him in any plans for the day, so he had plenty of time.

He should have known better.

It took liberal abuse of 32:1 ratio time-dilation barriers, over three hours real-time, and the preservative effects of his **[Inventory]** , but James managed to find all the flowers he needed by searching every florist in the city, half the grocery stores, and two private gardens. The ribbons were hand- **[Crafted]** from excess materials. In a fit of whimsy, James decided to use a different material for each ribbon. He had to get creative for a few of them. In the end, the last one was made from the remnants of Krieg's uniform.

 **[Quest Complete!]**

 **[You have gained 125,000 XP and Valentines!]**

Except no valentines appeared as his carefully gather items vanished. "Why aren't they in my inventory?" Constant use of verbal commands had reinforced James' habit of thinking aloud, especially when alone. After a few minutes scrolling through the veritable warehouse of random items he 'just had to' carry everywhere in his storage dimension, just to make sure, James was certain he'd been bilked." Eh, I'll just buy myself some chocolate. One Legion Zombie can pay for more than enough to share with everyone tomorrow."

..ooOoo..

Taylor wasn't having a good Valentine's Day. Everyone either thought she was dating James or was too scared of Lady Bug to ask her out. On top of that, James had the nerve to flaunt his own plans when he told the whole team he wouldn't be available all day. So she tried to distract herself by searching for new bugs in the park. But there were lovey-dovey couples _everywhere_. She contemplated planting bees in a few of the more obnoxious pairs' bouquets, but her powers were too well-known for that these days. Instead, she spent a few seconds redirecting ticks away from a few of the more adventurous lovers. No reason to… recognize them on the streets for the next few days.

It really annoyed her that she couldn't even do a dungeon run with James. She had been looking for a chance to try soloing the **[Vampire Lord]** boss for a while now, but usually didn't have the time. Instead, she decided to spend the rest of the day grinding a few of her favorite non-combat skills: **[Singing]** , **[Cooking]** , and the relatively new **[Dancing]**. With even Danny out on a date with his mysterious girlfriend, she had privacy to boogie to her favorite Ace of Bass songs while making the meatiest lasagna she could never make where James might eat it. All things she couldn't do just any day. She was totally fine with how things turned out.

Okay, she could admit to herself that she was a little disappointed she was being left out while everyone else was enjoying their own romantic interludes. It just wasn't fair. Sure she wasn't the prettiest girl, but she'd come a long way from the gawky, lanky girl who was so insecure because of a few high school bullies. She'd even caught a few guys checking her out around the city. Not that she was really interested in any of them. Just as she was settling into enjoy her perfect dinner, a swirl of light appeared in front of her with a soft 'ding'.

"Huh?"

..ooOoo..

James couldn't believe his luck. The local drug store had already marked chocolates down 50%, so he had _months_ worth of chocolate for himself and anyone he cared to share with. He considered keeping it in his inventory, but didn't trust himself that much. No, much better to leave it where any of his friends could help themselves - on the 'dining room' table in the warehouse he'd begun renting as a team headquarters. "This… is a good day," he announced to himself as he unlocked the second story door. (When you can roof-jump, walking gets boring fast.)

The lights were already on. No one had warned the rest of the team about wanting the place for the day, so James instantly activated **[Stealth]** and made his way through the upstairs, searching for intruders. While he did get all the reminder he'd ever need to stay out of people's rooms (seriously, did _everyone_ have to leave underwear hanging up in weird places), he didn't find anything more out of place than normal. And **[Sense Danger]** hadn't pinged even once.

Downstairs, he carefully worked his way to the front of the base. The kitchens were just as clean as he and Taylor always left them. The locker rooms were both still spotless and _no one_ could get into a **[Soulstone Lock]** but the owner. Not Armsmaster with a Tinkerpick, Jack Slash with a monomolecular blade, or even Shadow Stalker by phasing. The state of the dojo had him concerned for a moment, until he remembered how the martial arts practice session last weekend ended. The rec room was the same comfortable mess as always - pillows and blankets everywhere, but never a crumb left out. It only took one demonstration by Taylor for everyone else to swear to never leave anything that could attract ants.

Which only left the cavernous living/dining room. Well, fortune favors the bold. No need to don his costume, anyone who could find this base probably knew who he was. And calling out a macro would just warn them he was coming. He crouched and launched his way straight through the reinforced door.

"Come at me!"

"Wait, what?" Taylor stared back at him with a look of mixed befuddlement and anger, brandishing a cluster of red flowers bound in a familiar black satin ribbon. "Did you really say 'come at me'? Is that some kind of line? Did you really expect that to work?"

"Huh?" Completely lost, James cast his gaze across the room. Lisa was smirking back at him from his favorite recliner, a bouquet of roses wrapped in a string of Simurgh feathers resting on her lap. The couch was occupied by Elle (spectral ribbon made from a ghost's sheet), hemmed in by Spitfire (dragon scale chain 'ribbon') and Faultline (persistent **[Mana Ribbon]** ), both still wearing their masks, like always. Aisha (ectoplasm band) sat cross-legged on the table, amused anticipation written all over her face. The delightedly-human Sveta (eldritchweave) was happily running her fingers through her bundle of flowers. A disgruntled Victoria (gold cloth ribbon) and blushing Amy (zombie hide ribbon) were sharing the largest armchair. Crystal (silk ribbon) loomed over them, glaring dangerously at James. Rachel glowered at James from the rug as she fidgeted with an empty denim ribbon.

With each recognized ribbon, James' face turned whiter and his confusion grew. The final straw was the realization that _Kayden_ of all people was there, clutching a dozen roses tied together with Krieg's swastika'd collar. "What's going on here?"

 **[New Quest Alert: Spread the Love!]**

 **[Do what comes naturally.]**

 **[Reward: 175,000 XP, the Blessings of Gaia]**

 **[Failure: Loss of Reputation with Gaia]**

"Why is there no decline button?" Suddenly, James understood the angry faces. "Oh, Gaia, no!" He never ever noticed the few hopeful looks before he fled to a safer dimension.

* * *

Author's Note: Crack, crack, delicious holiday crack. Inspired by wondering what Gaia would think of a day for love.


	35. Factions 4-5

Factions 4.5

"While I really am serious about owing you both, I need to ask for your help first." Really? Is she trying to pull a Nigerian Prince(ss) on us?

"What kind of help?" Taylor sounds even more suspicious of this turn of events than I feel.

Sarah stares at me. Serious, her eyes are just _so_ green. I blink and she's inspecting Taylor's masked face. "You may as well take off your mask, Lady Bug. I already know your identity." Does she really think we'd fall for that? "More importantly, my 'employer' already knows your identity - Taylor Hebert," fuck, "daughter of Danny Hebert, currently enrolled at Winslow High School."

"Was that a threat?" Sarah should be happy she can't see Taylor's face. Her scary voice seems to have gotten even more impressive lately. "You know there are rules about that. They're unwritten, but they're pretty damn clear. Secret identities are off limits."

While the aptly named Tattletale is distracted, I silently activate **[Observe]**. It may be sketchy, but hey, she started it.

 **[A mischievous teenager hiding from her past. Civilian identity of the Parahuman villainess known as Tattletale, member of the Undersiders. Apparently possesses Thinker powers.]**

That wasn't very useful. But it _does_ tell me that her real name is a pressure point. Time to play hardball. There's a certain meaningfully careful tone that should work here. A few of the D &D geeks at Winslow say it makes me sound like a Ventrue. Not really sure what that means, but it should work here. "Do you really want to be naming names, Miss Sarah Livsey?"

She _smiles_ at me, looking more amused than anything. "Well, I guess that's fair. Which makes it your turn. My 'employer' also suspects that you're James Barron." Dammit, how? And what's with that emphasis on 'employer'? "While he isn't sure yet, he will be soon. I can never keep what I know from him for long. I'm not here to blackmail you. I'm here to warn you. Given enough time I probably could have worked out your identities, but I'm not your problem. It's my employer."

"Who is your employer and why shouldn't we shoot the messenger?" Sarah is really getting on Taylor's nerves.

"His name is Coil. He pretends to be a minor player, but he has a powerful Thinker ability." Are you threatening us? After you saw us beat Lung? "He wants to force you to work for him, like how he did me. If you help me get away from him, I can help you stay out of his grasp." Oh. That changes things. If she's being honest. "I'm at your mercy here. With your power I'm basically standing in a minefield that is completely under your control." She never drops eye contact (such as it is) with Taylor while subtly gesturing at the insects buzzing around her and… are those black widows on her socks? When did they get there?

 **[New Quest Alert: Save Tattletale]**

 **[Help Tattletale escape from Coil's clutches without getting trapped yourself]**

 **[Reward: 25,000 XP, Increased reputation with Undersiders, and a new teammate.]**

 **[Failure: Capture, imprisonment, torture, forced servitude, and possible death of yourself, Taylor Hebert, Tattletale, and multiple innocent parties.]**

 **[Bonus Goals: Remove Coil as a threat by any means necessary.]**

 **[Bonus Reward: 50,000 XP]**

 **[Accept?]**

 **[Yes] [No]**

Guess that confirms it. Torture? Possible death of Taylor and Sarah? Innocent Parties? Sounds like Coil isn't playing by the rules. Even without the **XP** reward, removing him would be my pleasure. Now how to get Taylor on board...

" **[Yes]**." I know that inflection. Taylor must have the quest too. That was easy. "We'll help you. Beetle Knight, I think we should trust her."

It'll be a lot harder to work with her if we don't trust her. " **[Yes]** , I agree." A muttered command, a single flick, and my helmet disappears. "James Barron at your service. You'll have to tell me how you figured it out sometime." And then I can make sure no one else does. Seriously, one day out in costume and villains are already figuring out my identity.

"And sometime I'll tell you." Sarah's grin promises more than that. No, I must be reading too much into it.

Taylor detaches her face mask, leaving her helmet in place. Kinda wish I had that option. Her face can only be seen from one angle. "And I am Taylor Hebert."

"My real name is Sarah Livsey, but I don't use that name any longer. My friends call me Lisa." Sa- ah, Lisa's smile makes it clear she wants to consider us friends.

Taylor isn't quite ready for that. "Nice to meet you, Lisa. Now, tell us everything you know about Coil." I know that glare. Lisa should really start talkin- Taylor suddenly flinches harshly. "Oh shit. Damn."

"Taylor!" Crap. "I mean, Lady B-" Wait, everyone here already knows, and if anyone else is watching, kinda too late by now. My partner is in pain. "Screw it. Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Just a cramp." She bends and starts kneading her calf.

"Muscles spasms," Lisa offers. "She's not a Brute like you. You both ran all the way here. Most people can't just sprint half-way across the city like that." Oh, crap. "A rub down should help, ice or rest would also work. You need to cut yourself some slack." It's odd to see a normal, if rather pretty, girl lecturing an armored superheroine. "Pushing yourself like this will only lead to injury. As it is you might have to take a few days off to heal. Lay down and I'll see what I can do."

That's nice of her, offering to lend a hand. Trying to handle something like that for yourself just isn't as effective, and there's only two options here. Getting help from someone of the op- of the gender you find attractive is awkward, to say the least. I don't think Taylor would be happy with me even offering.

"Thank you, but no. James, would you mind? Please?"

...what? But... girl… legs… guy… legs… awkward… Oh! Taylor thinks I'm gay. Eh, happened before. Actually, I think Mom thinks I'm gay. Would explain the rainbow colored Bert and Ernie shirt she got me last Christmas. Taking care of Taylor's leg is still awkward for _me_ , but she needs my help. "Of course."

I crack my knuckles while Taylor stretches out face down on the gravel. Really not necessary. I could have done this with her seated, there was no need to go all prone. Still, it is a little easier from this angle. The cloth is thicker than expected under my fingers. Oh wow. Considering how many layers are in the fabric, it's impressive I can feel the knot through them all. This will be a challenge.

Taylor and Lisa chat for a bit while I struggle at Taylor's leg. Apparently Lisa's got some kind of kickass enhanced intuition but likes to joke about being psychic, she doesn't know how Coil beat her to Taylor's identity, and Taylor's legs are really toned. Also, it's rather difficult to ease the tension out of her calf while Lisa keeps riling her up.

 **[A skill has been created through a special action.]**

 **[A skill to sooth aching muscles, {Massage}, has been created.]**

 **[Massage (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]**

 **[Massage is an ancient skill that allows you to take fatigue away from the flesh of humans. It's possible to cure body or joint related negative status effects.]**

 **[Gets rid of 0.05% fatigue per second.]**

 **[ _You're welcome._ ]**

"So tell me how did Coil…" Everything suddenly clicks. The knot I could barely effect before practically melts under my fingers. "Oooh. Aaaah. Oh, don't stop."

 **[Relationship with Taylor Hebert has increased!]**

Lisa falls over laughing. "Maybe you two should get a room."

I want my helmet back. I'm probably glowing right now. "Is…" this okay? Is she okay with me… She's… I'm… "that better?" I chicken out. I can't possibly admit I know this is… enjoyable and offer to continue. At least it should take too long… 0.05% per second, 100% total, divide, again by 60, 33.3 repeating… That's over half an hour. Not sure I can… listen to that for that long. Not without difficulty.

"It's better, but still hurts, please keep going." Does she not hear what she's saying? "And you, grow up. Regardless of my cramp, this is serious."

"Wow, that's…" Lisa snaps at me, suddenly more serious than I've seen her. "I _knew_ you were underselling with the whole Thinker/Brute combo thing. You're a Trump aren't you?" Well, that's part of it. "You're getting new powers when you need them." That would be so much easier. "No… that's Uber's schtick. You get them as you _use_ them. However…" She shifts her attention to Taylor. "You just mumbled 'intimidate' and suddenly got scary. That doesn't match your powers." Kinda does. Swarms of insects of all kinds, completely under her control. Scary fits. "Plus both of you did a tandem flip-flop in your attitudes toward me. Not to mention the way _both_ of you keep flicking your eyes away. What are you two seeing that I'm not?"

"That's why you wanted us to unmask," Taylor accuses. "You can read us better when you can see our faces."

"Looks like I've got some competition for the Miss Sherlock Holmes contest." Lisa seems more amused than anything. "You're right. Body language gives me a lot to go on, but I can read more from faces. Now that I've answered your questions, it's your turn."

"It's not really my secret to tell. Should we tell her?" That's a surprise. Wasn't she against letting _heroes_ know about my powers?

 **[New Quest Alert: To Trust or Not to Trust?]**

 **[Choose whether or not to trust Tattletale with the truth about your powers.]**

 **['Trust' Reward: 2,500 XP, increased relationship with Lisa Wilbourn, improved team synergy]**

 **['Not' Reward: 2,500 XP, increased relationship with Taylor Hebert, improved rate of relationship increases with Taylor Hebert]**

That's new. Essentially free XP, and a reminder that it's best to trust your teammates. Relationship boosts are nice and all, but if we're already going to be working with Lisa it only makes sense. I dismiss the window and see Lisa leaning forward inquisitively. Her top… I turn back to Taylor. "With her power, I don't think we can stop her from finding out. Besides we both got the same quest, didn't we?"

 **[Quest Completed!]**

 **[You have earned 2,500 XP]**

 **[Relationship with Lisa Wilbourn has increased!]**

 **[Relationship with Lisa Wilbourn has advanced from 'Peer' to 'Friend']**

"We did." Good. We're on the same page about saving Lisa. Now how on earth do I begin explaining my powers? 'I'm a videogame character. No, really. I promise, I'm not Myrddin-level crazy.' "I'll tell her. Would you please do both my legs and up to my thighs?"

...yeah, she thinks I'm gay. No other way a girl _lets_ me touch her like that, let along _ask_ me to while knowing I could be… interested. Maybe I shouldn't do this until I've… corrected her? Preferably when Lisa isn't around? Or should I just calm down and help her? "You should. She overextended herself. You're not just relieving that cramp, you're actually repairing torn muscles. That's a low-grade healing ability." Well, if the Thinker say to keep going, I guess I should.

"It's a very limited healing ability. It's mostly good for fatigue, but it will get faster with practice." If it gets another 0.05% per level, it would only take 20 seconds at level 100 to fix whatever counts as '100% fatigue'. Can't feel the knot here any more, so I shift to her other calf.

 **[Massage's level increased by 1!]**

"Very well, I'll tell you about our powers and you'll tell us everything about Coil. We'll do everything we can to help you get free and stop him. Agreed?" Taylor is remarkably business-like despite everything.

"Agreed. You scratch my back." Maybe Lisa needs a massage later? "I scratch yours. Your secrets are safe with me. It's all copacetic." The words fall out of her mouth a bit faster than necessary.

" **[Invite Lisa]** ," intones Taylor. There's a long pause. Lisa gives me a questioning look. "You have to do it, James."

Ah. Guess that's a Gamer-only thing. " **[Invite Lisa Wilbourn]**."

Lisa screams. "What. The. Fuck?! This… This is…"

"Bullshit?" Taylor and I chorus, purely on accident. I almost call out 'jinx', but it's not really the time.

"Yes, glorious bullshit."

 **[Sarah "Lisa Wilbourn" Livsey has joined the party.]**

 **[Mini Tutorial Start]**

 **[Teams]**

 **[Now that you have a party of three members The Gamer has the ability to form a Team.]**

 **[While only active party of members can gain and increase stats and skills, forming a Team has several advantages]**

 **[To create a Team, The Gamer must propose a Team Name and a minimum of two additional party members must accept.]**

 **[As a team you are more than individuals. The actions of each team member impact the {Reputation} of the team.]**

"Pure, glorious, 100% concentrated bullshit." The dumbfounded look on Lisa's face as she stares at her invisible screen is oddly satisfying.

"James, it says you have to do it."

"I saw that. Just thinking what to put there. I just don't want another lame name like **[Tutorial?]** , and we've never really discussed team names." I don't want us to end up with the first thing to pop into my head. We'd end up with something reflexively rhyme-y ('Team Dream') or ill-advised ('Team Threesome'). Maybe something more along the same theme as our cape names? Insect Kingdom? As far as I can tell, both of Taylor's calves are perfect, so… I do her thighs now? I tentatively slide my hands past her knee. She doesn't protest, but I'm stopping well short of anything… objectionable.

"Monarchs," Lisa suggests. "It works for both your insect and Lady/Knight themes."

Taylor approves almost instantly. "I like it."

Can't think of anything better. It's got some gravitas to it, but doesn't sound too aggressive. "Agreed. **[Create Team Monarchs]**."

Beat. " **[Yes]**." Lisa verbally approves as Taylor jabs a finger at thin air.

 **[Name Approved]**

 **[Team Monarchs Created]**

Shouldn't I be getting-

 **[Quest Completed!] [You have earned 7,500 XP] [You've gained 1 level.] [Relationship with Taylor Hebert has increased!] [Relationship with Taylor Hebert has changed from 'Partner' to 'Teammate'] [Relationship with Lisa Wilbourn has increased!] [As you have chosen to create your own team, {Secret Base Key} has been added to your inventory.] [Use the {Secret Base Key} in a safe location to create a permanent portal to a Illusion Barrier and continue Team Mini Tutorial]**

Ah. There it is. Most of it isn't particularly important, but the last bit is interesting. I'm almost curious enough to activate it here, but 'permanent' and 'secret' don't mix well with 'random rooftop'.

"So your power is basically being a videogame character." Lisa ends my musing with a disbelieving shake of her head. "You shouldn't be embarrassed about it, though. Myrddin is mocked because he says his powers are magic, not because he dresses up as a wizard. It's not even like his powers have the weirdest theme out there. Lung turns into a literal dragon: wings, scales, and fire-breath included." I think she's been building up this rant for awhile now. "There's no way that was random. There's another cape, Taurus, who turns into a minotaur, horns and all. Powers are weird. Hydrokinesis doesn't make any sense."

"Or that I can only control bugs?" Taylor's interruption comes at the perfect time. Lisa was really working herself up there.

 **[Massage's level increased by 1!]**

"Exactly… wait. Not just bugs? All invertebrates? Really underselling yourself with 'Lady Bug'. Regardless, the point is a parahuman's subconscious seems to guide how their powers manifest when they trigger. There's not good scientific reason for a telekinetic to be able to control only water, or be unable to control water inside living creatures." I've actually run into this line of thought before. Oddly enough, it's the cornerstone of the best reasoned argument I've seen for powers being magical. "It has to be a subconscious block. James, your powers are about augmenting yourself and others. _You_ gave it the videogame theme."

I guess tabletop games would make even less sense as a theme. What would I do, manifest sheets of paper that keep track of people's stats? "It could be worse. At least I like RPGs and not dating sim games." Taylor and Lisa both give me a dirty look. I grin back, switching legs one last time.

"Not to change the subject or anything, but I brought something to give you two. It's nothing compared to what I suspect you've just given me, but it's a start." Lisa opens a large paper bag and pulls out two lunch boxes. She hands Taylor one with Alexandria plastered all over it. She slides a plain tin box over by me. It looks to be good quality though. Lisa gives me an apologetic look. "All they had left was Armsmaster. Each has two thousand dollars in it." Lisa pauses, then sighs. "I have to be honest. It's not even from me. Coil thought he could lure you into joining the Undersiders by showing just how lucrative being a villain can be. But money is money, and I'm sure you two can find a good use for it. James should at least finish his costume."

Taylor pops hers open. Holy crap. That's a lot of money. She thumbs through her money, making happy noises. "Oh, the skill books we can buy with this!"

"...I'm going to have to call home and let them know I'll be out late." That's not thigh. I pull my hands back to safe territory. Technically, those muscles could also be sore, but I'm not going there without an engraved invitation.

"Skill books?!" Lisa blinks. "You can get powers by reading books? And you're sharing that power? That's just…"

"Bullshit!" "Bullshit!" I'm half a second behind Taylor this time.

"No, this isn't just bullshit. Bullshit is Scion speaking again. This is the kind of bullshit that makes Scion say 'bullshit'." **[First Aid]** is telling me that Lisa is seconds away from hyperventilating.

"Try saying **[Status]**." Taylor's tone is much too innocent.

Lisa's smugness is gone, instead there's a hint of trepidation in her voice. Looks like she's learning. " **[Status]**." Her eyes bug. "No fucking way."

As Lisa starts gesturing Taylor leans back to look at me. "I think my legs are good now." She's a little red in the face, but smiling. Crap, she noticed. I stand back and offer her an apologetic smile. "I was going to suggest introducing her to some zombies, but now I think we should hit some used bookstores."

"Used?" Lisa replies, but she's clearly distracted by the screens she's browsing. "I drop four grand on you, and you're going to buy _used_ books? No, we're hitting the major bookstores. Better selection, and anything they don't have we can order. If we run out of cash, I've got my own savings. It's just money." She locks eyes with each of us before continuing seriously. "Listen carefully: Coil doesn't play by the rules. He recruited me at gunpoint. When, not if, he finds out about James' powers, he'll do anything to control you. Torture, rape, and murder are the _best case scenario_. Your friends, family, even pets will be in danger. If we can _buy_ powers, then we spend the damn money."

When she puts it that way, neither of us can argue against heading to the less touristy end of the Boardwalk for some shopping. Taylor suggests we take turns changing between the dumpsters in the alley while the others act as look outs. On the way to the stores, Lisa insists on hearing about every skill we have and how we got them on the way there. I think she's hurt herself laughing about **[Fool's Act]**. When I explain how I got **[Intimidate]** , she changes to asking for more information about Winslow. Taylor doesn't seem comfortable talking about it, but the chance to get a Thinker's help on it is priceless so I explain things as delicately as I can. She's still asking questions when we reach our first shop.

New books just don't smell as booky, but it's still amazing the variety of books on hand. We eventually split up to take on different areas. Even if we don't have the **INT** to learn everything we want right away, I can just save the books in my inventory for as soon as we can learn them. Taylor takes on the Home and Science sections. Lisa decides that Self-Help and References are a good place to start. Since I'm apparently the only one who can use **[Observe]** , I'm supposed to check out the rest of the store. We loot the crap out of three stores, finding less new stuff worth getting each time, but not a single one of them is wasted time.

Books can get heavy, especially since we're getting three of a lot of things. Lisa even gets her first point of **STR** hauling a pile of history texts. We end up with volumes on every subject that seems fairly useful: math, programming languages, ciphers, strategy, chemistry, literature theory, every language in popular use around here (and a few that aren't), the newest edition of _Grey's Anatomy_ , locksmithing, specialized cookbooks (I notice Taylor grab on vegetarian recipes), entomology, textiles, a book about hunting with snares, layman's law guides, self-hypnosis, speedreading (not every interesting book offers a prompt to instantly learn it), music theory, sleight of hand, meditation, and even dancing. By the end I swear we're just grabbing every skill book we find. We end up getting so many books, I'm a little surprised the counters hold up under it all.

After each store we find an alley and shove the lot into my inventory for later, but there's no way I'm missing Lisa's first skill book. "The sooner you learn **[Capoeira]** the sooner you can master it, right?"

"Uh huh." Okay, I'm incapable of fooling the Thinker. Not really a surprise. "I'm not sure what the trick is, but you do have a point." She takes the book I'm offering. "This isn't going to hurt, and I don't need to sit down or anything… what's the trick?"

It's odd seeing Lisa's smirk on Taylor's face. "Oh, you'll figure it out."

Lisa gives us both a very suspicious look before staring at the book for a long moment. " **[Yes]**." She shrieks when the book lights up, throwing it away as she dives for cover behind a dumpster. The sparks from the dissolving paperback follow behind her. Not exactly what I was expecting, but Taylor and I both have to laugh as Lisa crawls back into sight, pulling a burger wrapper from her hair. "You _do_ know I just learned how to kick your asses, right?"

* * *

Game Mechanics:

James: **[+3 Massage]**

Lisa: **[+1 STR]** , **[+1 Capoeira]**

* * *

Author's Note: Shopping scenes suck, but it would be completely unrealistic to _not_ have them go nuts at this point. Just one more to go this arc


End file.
